More to Life Than Tennis
by sesshou-lover
Summary: Sakuno’s grandmother contrives to force Tezuka into a date with her granddaughter.  Problems arise and as a result Sakuno becomes pregnant.  Both must learn to balance their new lives together while readying for the new tennis season.  It isn't so easy.
1. Prologue

Usually I am a strict Inuyasha fanfic writer. I've decided to try my hand at branching out to some of my other favorite anime series. I tend to like the unusual couples, which is probably why I like Tezuka/Sakuno and since there aren't nearly enough stories under this pairing, I thought it was my civic duty to actually write one, even though I'm on a writing break. For those who know my other work, let me know what you think. If you decide to review, that's great, I always like to hear opinions, but I'm not a writer to who writes only if I get a bunch of reviews. If you like it, then thank you, if you don't it makes me no never mind and I'll continue writing it anyway for my own enjoyment. With that, lets get to some quality reading.

Disclaimer: This will work for the whole piece. My name is not Takeshi Konomi, so I don't make any kind of money off of this.

Prologue

"Ryoma-sama," Tomoka yelled across the tennis courts. "Ryoma-sama you're amazing. Isn't he just the best Sakuno-chan?"

Sakuno lowered her head as she blushed a deep red. Sometimes she wished her friend would be quiet. It was simply embarrassing. "He needs to concentrate Tomo-chan," she said. Besides, they were in high school now. It was time they grew up.

Tomoka rolled her eyes and huffed. Sakuno felt her felt her shoulders slump. It was simply no use trying to convince her friend to ever keep her mouth closed.

She returned her eyes to the drills taking place on the boy's tennis court. It was an absolute stroke of luck that a job position opened at Seishun Gakuen High School as the coach of the men's tennis team at a time when her grandmother was feeling a little down about losing all her favorite players.

It gave Sakuno a better reason to hang around the players rather than continuing to use the same old "Ryoma-kun" excuse.

"Everyone, twenty laps," she heard called out. She turned to find the stoic Tezuka Kunimitsu ordering his team to run around the courts. He stood, taller than she ever remembered him, broader from better muscle definition and age, and if at all possible, he was more handsome than before.

A slight flush warmed her cheeks to think of Tezuka-sempai as handsome. He never smiled, barely spoke a word to her in all the time they knew each other, and certainly didn't give off the impression that he was friendly. So why would she think him handsome?

The boys ran by, including Echizen Ryoma. Tomoka and Sakuno's eyes followed him. Sakuno watched her friend lick her lips sensually when Ryoma's eyes turned in their direction. "You know we're going out Saturday," Sakuno heard her friend say.

"Who," she asked, not really paying attention to what Tomoka had to say.

Tomoka laughed. "Ryoma-sama, obviously. He agreed yesterday to take me to dinner." Suddenly Sakuno watched Tomoka's eyes widen. "Why don't we find you a date and then we can make it a double. I hear Horio-kun is single and I know he likes you."

Sakuno felt as if her heart was about to break. Ryoma-kun was going to go out with Tomoka? When did this happen and why now when she had been building up the courage to ask Ryoma one more time to go on a date with her. All her previous times had ended in failure.

And Tomo thought she was going to find someone else to go out with her? How could she do that in a day, especially since she refused to go out with Horio?

Tears began to pool in her eyes. It took sheer will to be able to hold them back. She couldn't necessarily say her life was over, considering Ryoma wasn't hers, but it felt rather close to it.

"Sakuno," Ryuzaki-sensei called to her, "Can you go to the office and grab my notebook? It should be on the desk."

Sakuno understood a command when she heard one. She ran all the way to the office in the school, giving her enough time to wipe her eyes free of the remaining tears. As far as she was concerned she couldn't allow Tomoka to get to her.

Tomoka obviously planned to use this date as a way of rubbing it in her face that Sakuno couldn't get a date. It wasn't as if Tomoka didn't know her feelings. Sakuno had certainly talked enough about her frustrations in trying to get Ryoma to notice her.

She sighed, looking out the window at the running tennis players. This wasn't like when she was in junior high when it didn't matter nearly as much that Ryoma didn't pay attention to her. They were both too young then to talk about dating seriously. But she had thought, now that they were older, that this would be the time to give a relationship a try.

She knew that when she thought about it, she had no choice but to agree to the double date. Turning her back on the date now, would only make her look jealous of her best friend, even if she was a little bit jealous.

'But who will I get to go out with me on Saturday,' she asked herself. It was her hope that she could find someone extremely hot, maybe better than Royma if she could manage it. "Maybe I can ask my grandmother for help."

If there was one person she could count on it would definitely be her knowledgeable grandmother.

* * *

Ryuzaki-sensei had a problem. Most would claim the problem did not involve her, but when her granddaughter was unhappy she was unhappy. 

Sakuno didn't know this, but she had heard the conversation between Sakuno and her friend before Sakuno had come to ask for her help. She felt terrible, knowing that the one her granddaughter had spent to much energy chasing had chosen someone else.

Her trouble didn't stem from finding someone to help out her granddaughter. Ryuzaki-sensei knew who she could trust with her precious Sakuno, the problem involved making sure he agreed to the date and not allowing Sakuno know that she contrived the whole thing.

She glanced over at the captain of the tennis team, her favorite buchou by far. He would make a wonderful date for Sakuno. He was a gentleman, something so rare in this day and age.

"Tezuka," she said calmly, beckoning the young man to her side. She watched him jog lightly to her to her side from the corner of her eye. She kept most of her attention steadfastly on the players under her. "I need you to do me a favor."

"What is it Ryuzaki-sensei?"

"My granddaughter, Sakuno needs a date tomorrow evening. I would like for you to accompany her as her date."

Although his face showed no emotion, from the way his eyes suddenly shifted toward her, she knew that he had to be surprised by her request. She turned toward him, giving him her full attention.

"I would not have asked this of you if it weren't important. Her friend has an evening planned with Echizen and wishes to make it a double date."

Tezuka was silent for so long that she feared he would never speak. Finally Tezuka lifted his shoulders in a shrug. "I will be glad to accompany Ryuzaki-san as her date. As she arrives I will put the question to her."

Ryuzaki smiled, lad that her job on behalf of her granddaughter was done.

* * *

Sakuno headed toward the tennis courts after her last class. She had no idea what her grandmother had planned for her, but she hoped that it was very helpful. None of the guys she had thought to ask had been available, having either dates or projects they had to do. 

Sakuno was so tempted to just simply give up her pride and admit to Tomoka that she couldn't find a date. What more could be expected of her if no one was willing to go out with her.

"Ryuzaki," she heard said behind her. She turned slowly, having recognized the voice as belonging to Tezuka-sempai.

"T-tezuka – sempai?" she asked, wondering what he could ever have to say to her. She waited as he simply stood there, the wind playing gently with the light brown strands of his hair.

She was nearly ready to leave when he said, "I understand you need a date for tomorrow evening. I would like to join you."

Her breath caught in her throat. This was simply unbelievable. Tezuka-sempai was never one to ask a woman out. She wasn't even aware that he even held a fondness for women.

Dark eyes bore into her own eyes. It took perhaps five whole minutes before she realized that he awaited an answer from her. Finally, she nodded carefully, still unsure whether or not this was all just a dream designed to make her feel worse once she returned from the land of dreams.

He nodded once, decisively before continuing on his way to the courts. "I will pick you up at your home at exactly six. I insist that you be ready." Anyone who knew the slightest bit about him knew that he hated to be kept waiting.

* * *

Sakuno awoke with strangest pain between her legs and a blinding headache. She heard her grandmother tinkering around downstairs, not that she cared when she felt sick to her stomach. 

She remembered yesterday was her double date. She remembered being picked up by Tezuka and arriving at the restaurant just as Tomoka and Ryoma arrived, both more than a little surprised to Sakuno with a date that wasn't Horio.

They ate and then Tezuka had gotten a phone call from Fuji claming that one of the other teams was having a party and all the guys planned to crash it. She'd gone because Tezuka was her date and had drunken anything given to her.

From there her mind processed the fact that she had gotten drunk enough to not care that she was almost raped by one of the rival players of the tennis team. Tezuka had saved her, but that hadn't stopped her from pouncing on him in gratitude.

'Oh no,' she whimpered in her mind. She actually slept with Tezuka-sempai, the buchou of the Gakuen High School tennis team. She gave her virginity away and she didn't even remember what it felt like, or even how they ended up sleeping together.

She crawled out of bed, her legs shaking horribly as she made her way to the bathroom down the hall. If she could just make it there, and maybe take a nice hot bath to feel better, she could think about what happened.

Maybe they hadn't slept together and she was worried for nothing. Tezuka would never take advantage of her in any way. She doubted that was in his nature.

'Yes, I'm probably worried for nothing. He's honorable and not interested in me at all. Everything will okay once I calm down.'

* * *

Tezuka, the tennis prodigy, stared at his ceiling. He was an idiot and felt like much worse. Ryuzaki-sensei had trusted him with her granddaughter and he had allowed the girl's boldness to tempt him into bed with her, something he had never planned on doing with her. 

This whole night he hadn't managed to gain a whole night's worth of rest. His stomach felt sick, as if something more were bound to happen because he had betrayed the trust of his sensei.

'Things were much simpler when I simply planned to leave for Germany to play professionally.' Just why had he ever thought it a good idea to come back to Japan after making that decision? He'd been all set to start his professional career too.

He sighed as he peered at his left arm. Did it really matter anymore? He was in Japan in the biggest mess he'd ever been in before. "Maybe nothing will come of this and I can pretend it never happened?" he said.

Sakuno wasn't a big gossip if something truly embarrassed her, as this situation was bound to embarrass anyone. So he probably didn't have to worry at all. Hopefully, he could put it behind him and concentrate on what was important to him. Tennis.

* * *

'Okay Sakuno, you can do this.' Sakuno stared at the whit door before her, more than simply nervous. What she was about to attempt moved far beyond bold words. She was about to attempt the impossible. 

Slowly, her hand reached for the doorbell. If no one answered in two seconds, she planned to run as away as fast as possible. She pressed the small button and waited.

Just as she turned to run, the door unlocked, opening fully to reveal an old man. "Yes," he said, his voice reminding her deeply of Tezuka-senpai.

"Um," she began, "Is Tezuka-senpai here?"

The old man beckoned her in without another word. Ok, this was it, she promised herself. She would talk to Tezuka-senpai and see if there was anything that he remembered about their night together.

* * *

A/N I've not written on this site before so I'm learning as I go, but what's going to happen is that I probably won't up load a lot because I'm not usual a POT writer. And since I usually tend to write graphic lemons (which isn't allowed here) I'll find a way of editing them out and either loading them somewhere else, or putting an email list together and send out uncut versions if I get enough interest. 


	2. Chapter 1

I just want to say a quick thank you to all of those who have reviewed this story. I was honestly surprised to get so many on the prologue. Hopefully I can keep this going and keep it interesting. So, here's the next chapter.

Disclaimer remains the same.

Chapter 1

Sakuno had the stomach flu, or at least she thought she had the stomach flu. She'd been throwing up quite frequently for days now and she was tired of it. Every morning, this week it was the same thing, she'd wake up running to the bathroom.

Her grandmother was worried about her, she knew. Sakuno couldn't remember the last time she'd felt sick like this, only to turn around later in the day and feel like nothing happened.

More than one sensei had suggested she head to the nurse's office, not that Sakuno had wanted to go. Going meant possibly finding out that it wasn't a stomach virus she suffered from and that she couldn't handle right now.

"Tomo-chan, I have to practice," Sakuno said as her friend proceeded to try to drag her away from the girls' courts. Tomoka completely continued to ignore her pleas, much to her consternation. Sakuno finally gave in when it seemed she had no choice.

"Ryoma-sama," Tomoka said, waving like crazy at her favorite tennis player. Sakuno's eyes found the form of Tezuka-senpai, with his back to her. Just seeing him reminded her of what they'd done a few times since the party, all in secret of course.

None of it had been planned when she first arrived at his home to talk about that night. She hadn't known what she was going to say, or how she should say it at the time.

_"Ryuzaki, What are you doing here?" he'd said the moment he closed the door to his bedroom. Sakuno's eyes remained on the ground, too afraid to look into his eyes. How was she going to ask her question and not die of embarrassment?_

_Her cheeks flushed deeply, giving him all the answer he needed. "It's about last night isn't it" he said. When she nodded, he sighed. "Then I don't suppose you awoke feeling exactly the same?"_

_"No," she whispered, noting how he turned away from her to hide what ever expression he might reveal. "I felt sore." She couldn't possibly be expected to say more than that._

_He nodded in response, having already expected as much. "Then I suppose the question we must ask ourselves is what will we do next? I would hate to think of how your grandmother would react to such news."_

_Sakuno cringed at the thought of her grandmother finding out about what she had done, and yet… "I don't remember if I enjoyed it." She thought she might have spoken lower than any human could hear, but Tezuka heard and turned sharply in her direction._

_"Why would it matter?"_

_It was her first time, that's why. She had always heard that a girl should remember her first time. But she said none of this to Tezuka-senpai. It would only anger him.._

_She glanced out his window, finding the whole conversation awkward. She really should leave and just forget any of this ever happened. It was what a normal girl would have done. But Sakuno had no energy to leave._

_She wanted to know, deep down, what it felt like to have sex. She wanted to be able to remember what it felt like to be connected with a guy that way._

_She returned her eyes to Tezuka-senpai, a boldness striking her suddenly as it did the night before. "I want to remember what it feels like. I want to try it again."_

_Tezuka refused he of courser, but she was determined to have her way, while she still had the courage to do it. She felt almost like how Kawamura-senpai must feel every time a racket was put into his hands._

_The tennis captain was handsome enough to want. Girls would be envious of her if they learned hat she had bedded him. Plus it wasn't as if Tomoka was an angel. She could do it. She had to do it._

_And the best way, she learned, was to challenge Tezuka in a tennis match. She bet, that if she could somehow manage to hit just one ball past him, that he would sleep with her._

_Neither could remember how she managed to get the ball past his defense, but both admitted that it was sometime between when she slipped over her own shoelaces and when her racquet flew at his face._

Again turned into a few more times after that, each time when she was angry with Tomoka. Sakuno would have felt embarrassed if she hadn't had to deal with Tomoka bragging about all that she had done with Ryoma.

Then all of a sudden Tezuka wanted to stop their meetings. He was afraid someone would find out and inform their families of their indiscretions.

To lay with her once could be passed off as a mistake, but to continue for longer, most times without protection, could only end in their being disgraced.

She saw him begin to turn in her direction. Her eyes widened, not wanting to be caught staring. She turned sharply to where Ryoma played, hoping to not be noticed by Tezuka.

Vaguely she heard Tomoka continue her lecture on everything having to do with Ryoma in his private life. Sakuno wasn't sure if she'd ever get a chance to be able to tell Tomoka how she really felt.

The twinge of sickness hit her stomach, crawling its way up toward her throat. Sakuno fought it to the best of her ability, but it didn't work.

She ran for the nearest garbage, bending over to rid her stomach of its contents. When she finished she noticed all the attention she garnered. Her grandmother's grim expression met her own as she faced the older woman.

"Sakuno, you're going to the doctor. We need to know what's wrong with you as soon as possible."

Sakuno sighed in agreement. Hopefully, there was some sort of medicine she could take that would help with the sickness she suffered. She wasn't sure if she'd be able to take it for much longer.

* * *

Tezuka watched the commotion Sakuno made on the school grounds. He was worried, in a much different way. 

A stomach virus would have passed through days ago, so it could only be something else. He forced the regulars through another twenty laps around the school as he headed toward his coach and her granddaughter.

"Ryuzaki-sensei, do you need me to take her to the hospital?"

The old woman turned to the captain of the boys' team, then to her granddaughter who had paled further. "Yes, I think that will be a splendid idea."

He watched as the eyes of the girl grew incredibly large with surprise. He stared at her, daring her to challenge his suggestion. If his theory proved true, then he felt he had a right to know immediately.

"Go change Ryuzaki, I will wait here." She ran off to change out of her tennis uniform.

It took him five minutes to go change into his school uniform and make it back to the meeting point. The girl still wasn't there, so he was forced to wait another fifteen minutes for her.

When she arrived, this time she was moving slowly as if she had just been sick. Tezuka felt his lips turn into a slight frown. She looked much worse than she had just a few minutes ago.

Without a word, he turned to leave the school, expecting her to follow him. It didn't matter much to him that she dropped back three steps behind him. He couldn't really have people thinking they were dating anyway.

"Tezuka-senpai," he heard softly asked behind him. He turned his head slightly to acknowledge that he was listening. "Ano, why did you ask to take me to the doctor? I thought we weren't supposed to talk anymore."

He said nothing in reply. He didn't really think it necessary to say anything until he found out if his guess were correct or not.

They reached the hospital in short order and were told to wait for a doctor to be available. Tezuka could tell she was nervous about having to see the doctor. To tell the truth, even he had to admit to a slight nervousness.

What was in actuality a fifteen minute wait seemed more along the lines of hours spent waiting. Finally a nurse entered the waiting area to say, "Ryuzaki Sakuno?" Sakuno shot out of her seat to go follow. Tezuka held his breath, waiting, hoping that his guess was indeed incorrect.

* * *

"Ah, Sakuno-chan, how are you this afternoon?" the doctor said upon entering the exam room. 

Sakuno shrugged, too afraid to speak. The doctor looked over the file with her information. "It says here you've been sick for quite a while now. Tell me what the problem is."

She explained about the mornings she awoke ill and the tiredness she felt all throughout the school day. As she spoke of her symptoms, she toyed with the edge of her school skirt.

The doctor made a couple of notes, a slight frown on his lips. "Have you been sexually active recently?" he finally asked.

Sakuno stuttered over a reply. She didn't want to lie, but she certainly didn't want to tell the truth either. The news would definitely get back to her grandmother. "Y-yes," she whispered nearly too low to be heard.

She heard the doctor sigh and mutter something too low for her to hear. "From what you've told me, it doesn't sound as if you have the stomach flu at all. There's a test I want to run on you that should possibly help me rule one thing out."

Sakuno was given a cup and told to provide a urine sample. She stared at the cup, deathly pale. The doctor didn't have to say a word about what this test would be. It was clear from his blatant disapproval that he assumed the worst about her.

* * *

Tezuka closed his eyes as he ran through possible tennis drills in his mind to keep it sharp. Sakuno's test was running too long in his opinion, which wasn't a very good sign that things were going well. 

Around him other patients sat waiting for either their turn to see a doctor or were like him, waiting for someone who was in to see the doctor. He drowned out their presence, focusing only on his mental strengthening.

If asked later, he would never have been able to remember exactly how long he waited for Sakuno to be finished with the doctor. It wouldn't have mattered to anyone if they too had witnessed her leaving the exam room for the waiting area.

She was bleached of all color. Her eyes were akin to deer caught in headlights. She visibly shook as tears streamed down her face. Tezuka stood, more alarmed than he could ever remember in his life.

Sakuno didn't say anything as she passed him by, leaving the hospital. Tezuka sped his steps to hurry after her, not wanting to appear as if he were truly concerned.

He found her further down the street, where the crowd was thinner. He didn't say anything other than to motion her to follow him. They were close to the university tennis courts, which should give them a chance to speak without being heard or interrupted.

* * *

Sakuno refused to look at him. She didn't know how she was ever going to be able to face anyone ever again. She was disgraced, used goods and nothing was ever going to change that. 

More important than her own disgrace, she had quite possibly ruined Tezuka-senpai's life as well. This was a critical point in his career in tennis. What would happen to him? How would her grandmother react to the news? Could Tezuka-senpai ever forgive her?

"You're pregnant aren't you?" he asked her. She responded with sobs of anguish as he stood there not saying anything further.

"Please forgive me," she managed to get out. She didn't want to have to deal with this alone, but she didn't want to get him in trouble for this either. She didn't know what to do, or how to act.

Abortion was out of the question without her grandmother finding out. She was still a minor and wouldn't feel right going without an adult as support.

She watched as he turned away from her, staring out over the tennis courts. What thoughts were going through his mind she didn't know. She was still processing the knowledge in her own way.

She watched as his head bowed slowly, his shoulders slumping as the heavy weight fell upon his shoulders. What would they do? How could they get past this without anyone knowing? Her grandmother knew she went to the doctor about her stomach, so there was no way that she would be able to hide her condition. Not for very long at least.

"I'll assemble my family in a meeting with your grandmother. We will inform everyone who needs to know of the situation immediately, so as not to draw out our disgrace."

Sakuno nodded at the suggestion. Yes, she would let Tezuka tell her what to do since he seemed so calm about it. Rational thinking, that's what she needed. "Hai, senpai," she said.

After looking at his watch Tezuka turned to her. "I will bring my family at seven. Please make sure you have the tea ready. I prefer Unacha."

Sakuno made mental note of his preference. It required going to the store before heading home, but it was also a way of delaying the inevitable. She glanced at her own watch. She had little over an hour to get home and get something on the stove for dinner.

If Tezuka was coming then that meant she needed even more food and had to let her grandmother know that they would have guests.

She called the house from a payphone, letting her grandmother know that they would have guests and that what she had to say was indeed extremely important. She was sure her grandmother could infer that something big had happened just from her tone of voice, but she didn't say anything either. 'I'm very sorry,' she said in her mind. I didn't mean for any of this to happen.'

* * *

Tezuka had informed his parents of the change of plans for the evening. His grandfather, unfortunately, or perhaps just this once fortunately, had gone to his Go club meeting with other of his retired friends. 

His choice of clothing was very carefully selected. He took time to think of what he might say, that would ensure he not be thrown off the tennis team. His captain position was probably already sacrificed.

'Oh well, it could just possibly push me back to my original plan of going professional.'

Of course, he would do the responsible thing and be responsible for the child. He could have easily continued to deny Ryuzaki every time she came to him. She would have eventually lost interest in him.

He glanced at his appearance in the mirror. The time was much too late to think about what he should have done. He could only focus on what he did do and seek to make restitution.

A glance at the clock told him it was time to leave. He ushered his parents out of the house to ensure they made it on time. Considering what he knew of the girl, Ryuzaki had probably somehow told her grandmother the truth in a panic. The girl just didn't seem the type to handle pressure well.

He didn't know just how right he was.


	3. Chapter 2

If these chapters seem like they are rushed, it's not that it's intentional. It is just that I tend to see things in terms of scenes and because of that I don't tend to notice if the flow seems a little fast. For those who have reviewed, thank you so much. It's encouraging me to continue on and it's giving me ideas that hadn't occured to me yet as I'm currently watching the show at the same time I'm writing the story so it should continue to improve as I go along. Continue telling me what you think, I welcome it because I do want this to be the best that it can be.

Disclaimer: Hasn't changed yet.

Chapter 2

Ryuzaki-sensei said nothing as she heard the door open to admit her granddaughter. What was there to say after she had invited the family of her star player into their home?

Her mind wanted to deny what her instincts were telling her. Sakuno, her precious granddaughter, had grown up well before her time. She had dishonored not only herself, but had dragged Tezuka into this as well.

"Grandmother," Sakuno said quietly. Ryuzaki-sensei refused to look at the girl she was raising. It hurt too much to think that Sakuno had made some terrible decisions.

"How long?" she asked Sakuno.

Her granddaughter stuttered to answer. "H-how long?"

Finally Ryuzaki turned to see her granddaughter standing in the entrance of the living room. Careful eyes took in the appearance of the girl standing before her, the girl she had thought she'd known so well.

"How long have you been sleeping with him? How long have you lied to me?"

Sakuno fell to the ground, sobbing. Sumire stood over her granddaughter unaffected by the apologies spilling from the girl's mouth. Part of her stoicism was from pure shock that her granddaughter would do this to her, and part was simply because she didn't know how to react.

"It wasn't his fault," she heard Sakuno say. "I pushed him into this. Please don't make him leave the team. I'll do anything."

Instead of giving an answer, Ryuzaki-sensei pointed toward the kitchen. "Our guests will be arriving soon. Shouldn't you get to dinner?" She watched as her granddaughter shuffled her way into the kitchen to prepare dinner.

Once alone, Ryuzaki allowed herself to release the tears filling her eyes. That it was Tezuka that was involved made this all worse. Out of all the young men she knew, she never would have expected this of him. 'What were you two thinking?' she thought silently as her anger built.

* * *

Stress. Sakuno was used to the normal stresses of a sixteen year old girl. She was stressed every time Ryoma didn't pay attention to her. She felt stress while waiting for the results of a test. There were the daily stresses of deciding what to wear outside of school.

This sort of stress was on a level all its own. Her grandmother hadn't said a single word to her since forcing her into the kitchen to cook.

Normally, Sakuno would have much conversation and there would be laughter and joy filling the atmosphere. This wasn't what she wanted to deal with. This tension wasn't making her feel better.

The doorbell rang. Sakuno ran to answer, just to keep her grandmother from having to see Tezuka-senpai too soon. She opened the door, finding the Tezuka family waiting, Tezuka-senpai in the front.

"Thank you for coming. Please come in," she said quietly with a bow. Tezuka led his parents inside, all taking off their shoes to leave by the front door.

Sakuno felt the aura of her grandmother standing behind her. She looked up, finding all of Tezuka-senpai's attention focused on her grandmother. When she turned, she witnessed for herself the glare leveled on the tennis captain.

She couldn't move if she tried. The tension just continued to increase as the seconds ticked by. It was Tezuka's parents who broke the mood. "Kunimitsu-chan, why don't you introduce us?" his mother asked.

Sakuno hazed out of the conversation after that. She was too stressed to feel hungry, knowing that soon the conversation would turn to her indiscretion and the result of it. It was unknown how his parents would respond, even though they seemed very laid back.

Her grandmother held her tongue for most of the night, contributing only a little to the conversations. Sakuno felt her stress levels increase with every moment.

After dinner Sakuno served the tea, making sure that Tezuka-senpai had his preferred tea and her grandmother was served something that would hopefully soothe her anger some.

Her grandmother didn't speak until Sakuno was seated next to Tezuka-senpai, her hands clasped tightly in her lap as she eyed the floor to avoid looking at anyone.

Tezuka spoke first, understanding that it was his responsibility to speak for the most part. "I have already informed my parents of the unfortunate incident and I assume that Ryuzaki-san has informed you as well Ryuzaki-sensei?"

Ryuzaki-sensei nodded carefully. "There are no words to describe the dishonor I have brought upon this household. I offer my deepest apologies and regrets for what has happened. I have come up with a suggestion if you are willing to discuss it."

"I would think I would have to speak with your parents on decisions," Ryuzaki-sensei said, glancing at each of his parents.

"We have agreed to allow our son to handle this situation. He is mature enough to know how to make reparations," Tezuka's father said. They were simply proud that their son took responsibility of his actions.

Ryuzaki-sensei turned her full attention to the tennis captain, waiting expectantly for his suggestion in regards to making reparations.

Tezuka's eyes shifted to where Sakuno sat shivering. He had not discussed this with her previously, but neither had a choice in the matter if they did not want to be disowned by the older generations. Plus, with being so young, they had to do whatever necessary.

"I will take full responsibility and marry Ryuzaki-san."

Sakuno gasped. Marry? She was too young to be a wife, but then again she was much too young to be a mother. She felt her stomach drop at the thought of all the trouble she caused.

She remained quiet though; too frightened of what may happen if she spoke when it was unnecessary.

She could tell her grandmother was giving serious thought to the request. "Where will you will stay? What about money and school? As young as you both are, the stress will be incredible.

Sakuno watched the gears rotate inside Tezuka's mind. "My parents have agreed to give us board and help with the baby if necessary. I am also not without my own funds to last me through until I graduate after next year. We will manage somehow."

Ryuzaki-sensei turned to her granddaughter who was in shock. "Give me until tomorrow after practice to decide what I want to do. That is all that I can promise."

The sensei stood from her seat, leaving the room without saying another word. Tezuka-senpai's parents did not remain too much longer after that, leaving the two teens alone for a moment.

"Are you sure about this senpai?" Sakuno asked him.

Tezuka faced his back to her. "It is the only thing to do." They both knew that in the end, her grandmother would agree to the marriage to save the honor of her family name, just as Tezuka intended to marry for the sake of honor.

Sakuno felt sad. She'd always thought that when she got married it would be for love. In her childhood imaginings it had always been Ryoma-kun as her husband. They'd both being living happily together and he would play professional tennis while she took care of the house.

To marry Tezuka-senpai simply because they were about to become parents, when they didn't even like one another was nearly too much to handle. But he was right, and she couldn't deny it.

She bowed to him. "I suppose that means I will see you tomorrow then," she said. He left without saying a word.

* * *

"Grandmother," Sakuno said from the doorway of her grandmother's bedroom. She knew that her grandmother probably didn't want to speak to her, but she felt that this needed to be said, to help protect Tezuka's position.

"I don't want you to punish Tezuka-senpai. The team needs him as the captain. If you're worried, I'll marry him. I'll even help out with the team if you want. I'll do anything and I mean anything if he gets to keep his position."

"Why did you do it in the first place?"

Sakuno paused. What could she say? It seemed that was all she had been able to ask herself lately. "I didn't think this would happen to me. Senpai warned me, but didn't...I mean I couldn't believe him."

"So you just didn't think? Is that supposed to make me feel better to know that my granddaughter is pregnant by the one I've trusted for so long?"

Sakuno dropped her head, allowing her bangs to hide her eyes. She deserved to be treated this way for her actions. She knew she deserved this sort of treatment, but it still hurt to know that she so disappointed her grandmother.

She turned to leave, heading toward her bedroom. The lovely femininity of it no longer soothed her. Soon, she wouldn't be able to afford to think like a child. She'll be a mother, with responsibilities and that meant things she didn't know.

She sighed, getting ready for bed. Perhaps after a night of rest the morning will look much better. She certainly hoped so because nothing could compare to this day she just wanted to put behind her.

* * *

Ryuzaki-sensei heard her door close as her granddaughter left the room. Once alone, she stood from the bed. She knew what she was going to do. Tezuka was right about one thing. Her granddaughter was just going to have to get married and be responsible.

But, it was so hard to look at her, knowing that she ruined not only her life but the life of another. They were just so young, much too young to have a baby.

"Well, it's her problem," Sumire said quietly. She was not about to raise this child for her granddaughter.

* * *

Tezuka stood outside the coach's office. Today was the day he would discover the course of the rest of his future. Either he walked away from the tennis club and left for Germany or he would remain here, playing with his teammates for the next season.

He knocked briefly, waiting to be allowed entrance. When the call to enter came he opened the door and stepped inside, closing the door behind him. He bowed in politeness, waiting for her to speak first.

"I accept your suggestion. My only condition is that you move into my home. I have more room, enough for a nursery. You will continue to play on the team and will remain the captain. I only ask that you take part in the raising of your child and that you tell no one else for a while."

Tezuka nodded once. "I accept. I will inform my family tonight of our decision. I assume you wish to have the ceremony soon?"

"As soon as possible. I'll look into it."

Tezuka left the office to begin the practices. Now that he knew he still had his team to run, he had to make sure that they were all in shape. He changed into his regular's uniform in the locker room.

As he neared the courts he saw Sakuno standing at the courts with her friend, whispering together. He hoped that she wasn't telling her loud friend about the pregnancy.

"Ryuzaki," he called out, hoping to keep her from speaking. He watched as she jumped slightly, turning in his direction.

"Tezuka-senpai?" He pointed toward the building with the racquet in his left hand. She turned her head in that direction, a confused look on her face. Beside her, her friend kept trying to get her attention to find out what she was about to say.

"Ryuzaki-sensei wishes to speak with you." It was a blatant lie, but he was desperate to separate her from the friend who would be likely to tell the whole school about his dishonor.

She went running, leaving her friend behind, who turned on him, her mouth open to say something. He turned away from her, uncaring of whatever it was she wanted to say.

It was time to make all the others run laps around the school. A couple of them had lost their stamina and he refused to accept that as acceptable behavior for regulars. If they weren't careful they could have their spots taken by some of the underclassmen.

Inui wanted to run his color drills, to sharpen the eyes of the team players. Tezuka cringed inwardly. Inui still made his juices and somehow they seemed to be getting worse as the years passed by. He even managed to sometimes surprise Fuji.

As the girl squawked behind him, yelling about what he wasn't paying attention to, a slight smirk touch his lips, indistinguishable from his normal stoic persona. Maybe he could find some one to play him in a match. That would be interesting and would be just what he needed to relieve some of the stress he was under.

* * *

Sakuno was confused. Tezuka-senpai had sent her to her grandmother's office claiming her need for attention, but her grandmother was confused, having not remembered making the request.

Although, Sakuno now knew that she would have to marry Tezuka-senpai and keep quiet about the baby until absolutely necessary.

Sakuno sighed. Tyring to keep secrets from Tomoka-chan had to be the most difficult thing to do. Tomo-chan seemed to always know instinctively that something was missing from a conversation.

She shrugged. There wasn't much she could do anyway considering as soon as it looked like she would show she'd be pulled from the school and home schooled.

"There you are," Tomoka yelled as soon as she caught sight of Sakuno. Sakuno struggled not to cringe. "What did your grandmother want?"

Sakuno shook her head quickly. "No-nothing. She needed me to run to the store for her." Tomoka might have narrowed her eyes, but it appeared as if she believed her friend because she said no more.

"Well, hurry up or we're going to miss Ryoma-sama practice." Sakuno chuckled nervously. Going to the practice meant seeing her husband-to-be.

She stopped suddenly. That certainly felt strange to say, her husband-to-be. It suddenly hit her. She was about to get married, and have a baby. She was going to become the wife of Tezuka-senpai, captain of the tennis team, possible future professional tennis player.

She burst into tears suddenly; running away before Tomoka could ask her what was the problem. Her life as she knew it was over, she just had hoped that it would never occur to her.

Now that it did occur to her, it seemed to hit her harder than it had before. She couldn't even talk to her friend to find some sort of support system. She was alone and she couldn't stand it.


	4. Chapter 3

Okay, I'm a little late with this, because I ended up changing directions a bit after it was written, so I'm not sure if it is as smooth as I would like it to be. I wanted to get it up because you all are waiting so patiently for this, that I felt a little bad for keeping you waiting. I'll edit this later as I intend to do for all the previous chapters, but here's something to tie you over for now. Thank you for the reviews, keep letting me know what you think, it is helping me get my ideas flowing further. This chapter is a little longer than the others because like I said, I switched gears and still wanted to get the birth over with since the actual baby, not the pregnancy plays more of a major role in the building of the relationship.

Disclaimer hasn't changed yet.

Chapter 3

Pretending not to be pregnant while in school was agony. Trying to fend off questions as to why she didn't spend all her time cheering on, or chasing after Ryoma-kun anymore was pure torture.

Tezuka hadn't really said a word to her at all since it had been agreed that they would marry in a small ceremony. But he had been kind enough to walk her home everyday after club practices.

They were seen together enough that people started to get an inkling that something was going on between the pair. No one knew exactly for sure though.

They were married, with only their family members present. It was well before Sakuno's belly had grown larger, but all present had behaved as if she were already close to her due date.

Tezuka moved into the Ryuzaki home, as promised, sharing a room with his wife. He wasn't sure how he was ever going to explain the change in residence to his closest friends. He and Oishi liked to hang out after school some times, so without having that option, things would be different almost dramatically.

* * *

"What the hell is going on with you Sakuno," Tomoka asked her again this afternoon. Sakuno sighed, dropping her eyes to the floor.

She had gained weight again, forcing her to change the size of her uniform. Everyday, her worry about others finding out the truth had grown worse. There were those, who probably suspected what was going on. And apparently, Tomoka was one of the people.

"Don't tell me you've turned into one of _those_ girls."

"I…don't understand what you mean," she said quietly. She smoothed down the front of her uniform shirt, seeking to hide her stomach more. Tears began to pool into her eyes as she listened to Tomoka begin to tear her apart.

Tomoka growled in frustration. "See, that's what I mean. I know you've been sleeping around, just because Ryoma isn't interested in you. You're the whore of Seigaku. I don't see how we can be friends with the way you're acting."

Sakuno stepped back in surprise. The way she was acting? She was getting a little sick and tired of Tomoka always putting everything on her, as Sakuno was always the problem in everything.

Call it the pregnancy hormones or what ever, but she was more than ready to just call it quits with Tomoka, regardless of how long they'd been friends. "How dare you?" she cried. "I've not done a thing to you for you to treat me this way."

"Ryuzaki," she heard said from behind her before she could go into a complete speech. She turned to see Tezuka standing there. She startled, not having expected he would want to talk to her.

"I need to speak with you."

* * *

"There's beginning to be some talk around the school," he said as soon as he led her to a private corner.

Sakuno said nothing, having already heard some of the rumors. For the most part, she could say that it was anger from the fans of Tezuka who disliked that she was seen with the tennis captain. Then there were the rumors from the fans of Ryoma who considered her a traitor. Both were vicious in their need to upset her.

"What do you think I should do then?" Her grandmother had been talking more about her leaving Seishun Gakuen for the last two months when she began to show her pregnancy more. It was her, who had fought against her grandmother's wishes, thinking that she wanted more time to spend with Tomoka.

Now, she wasn't so sure if it weren't a better idea to leave the school. At least, if she were at home she wouldn't have to deal with the nasty looks.

"Be on your guard if you choose to stay. I doubt things will improve as time moves on and it becomes apparent that you're with child." Sakuno's head dropped to hear the assessment she'd only been telling herself for a while now.

It was hopeless. She didn't want to get Tezuka more involved than he'd been, but by not letting it be known that she had only slept with one person and had married him, she would only further tarnish her own name, and by association her grandmother as well.

She returned to class, sitting in her seat that placed her behind Ryoma. For a moment, she allowed herself to wonder what he thought about all of the rumors. It had started because she was too weak-willed when it came to him.

Did he believe the rumors? Did he think she was now tainted somehow? Did he absolutely hate her? And really, why did she care what he thought? She was carrying Tezuka's baby.

Not only was she carrying his baby, she had now secretly been married to him. How could she possibly ever think to betray Tezuka, even if she though she was in love with Ryoma-kun?

She sighed, feeling depressed. This was going to be so difficult to get through.

* * *

Sakuno sat at the desk pouring over the books she would need to read if she ever hoped to catch up to the others that would have been in her class.

Someone had almost found out about the pregnancy. It had been a complete accident of course, when she was changing into her gym uniform, but it was much too close for comfort.

Her eyes were attracted to the ring once again. Married. She had been married fore about five months now, seven months into her pregnancy. She barely left the house for fear of being seen by her friends.

As the summer had grown nearer, Sakuno's grandmother had been forced to create an excuse that left Sakuno needing home schooling.

Tezuka had no trouble continuing on with his regular everyday life. He wasn't the one carrying a child, growing larger by the day and fearing that he would never find joy in life.

She'd had to redecorate everything after Tezuka made it clear he refused to sleep in a room where pink was the color of choice. It was difficult at first, dealing with more neutral colors, but she'd somehow gotten over it.

Oh, she sighed, there was some joy in her life. Her grandmother had been helpful with the pregnancy once she got over her disappointment. She'd given them the small room next door to her bedroom for a nursery.

Tezuka's parents had also been a big help to her, visiting nearly everyday to get to know her and making sure that she wasn't too lonely waiting for everyone else to return from the school.

She ran her hand over her belly, finding the new addition an interesting experience. She was almost… excited about the baby coming.

Her grandmother had promised to allow her more freedoms once she had given birth and it was safe to bring the baby out. By her calculations, the baby should be born by the time of the first regulars' selection.

From there, she'd be able to begin her new job as the club manager, helping her grandmother help the boys improve their skills.

"Ryuzaki," she heard called from downstairs. She set her pen down on top of the book. She struggled to lift her new weight from the chair. This was one thing she was not going to miss after the baby was born.

"Yes, Tezuka-senpai," she yelled from the top of the stairs. Her husband appeared at the bottom of the staircase, carrying his case with his racquets over one shoulder.

"Ryuzaki-sensei says that she will return home later this evening. She suggests we eat dinner without her."

Sakuno nodded. It wasn't very comfortable trying to make her way down the stairs with the extra girth, but she made it without help. She was proud of herself, for learning to be so strong about this, when it felt as if she wanted to cry every other minute of the day.

"Well," she said, "I haven't pulled anything out yet for dinner. What would you like to eat? I'm not particularly craving anything."

He seemed to think for a moment. Finally, he led her to the kitchen and the refrigerator that was nearly empty of anything edible. Someone had yet to shop for the groceries.

"Perhaps we should go out," he said once they both saw the pickings were slim.

Sakuno ran her hands over her stomach, unsure. "But then what if we are seen by someone we know? I thought we had decided not to take any risks."

Her husband shrugged. "We need to eat. The baby must have proper nourishment and it won't find that here. Besides, I should think you would want to get out of the house for a bit."

When put that way Sakuno gave in. She was pretty hungry and the baby did need to eat. Plus she really did want to get out of the house. So what if she was seen at this point, with all the rumors it wasn't as if people weren't going to be surprised.

Tezuka helped Sakuno put her shoes on her feet. He had been surprisingly helpful this whole time, doing small things for her that she would have never thought him capable of doing for her.

Every morning he brought her breakfast. When she grew sick, he'd often take care of her, sometimes calling in sick to school just to make sure she was okay. He always made sure she ate something, and was the prime reason she'd gained so much weight in the first place.

At night he'd sometimes massage her feet before she went to bed. But then she often did things for him too. She would often make sure that he didn't overuse his left arm. She always had dinner for him and her grandmother.

She left him alone when he had homework to do, or something team related. It was surprising easy for them to get along if they simply set aside the fact that they were forced into a marriage and were having a baby.

She knew some of his hobbies, not much as he was a very private person. It was okay considering she learned to talk enough for the both of them. He probably knew everything about her if he had actually listened to whatever she'd said.

Tezuka put her jacket on her since it was relatively cold outside and he didn't want her getting sick. He opened the door for her letting her make her way outside first while he locked the house while she waited for him at the end of the sidewalk.

He was enough of a gentleman to walk on the side of the street as he escorted her to the restaurant. They said nothing as they walked; the silence comfortable for both for once.

Sakuno watched the faces of the people they passed, looking for the tell tale sign that she was being judged. She'd discovered as she grew in size that she was always being judged because of her pregnancy.

Tezuka didn't seem to either notice or particularly care what anyone thought of him when he was with her. Watching him continue on as usual tended to bring her esteem higher, thus allowing her to affect the same attitude. After all, what did she have to be ashamed now that she was married?

Still, she couldn't help but assess the people around her. The frowns always made her feel as if she should be hanging her head.

"Stop it," Tezuka told her. She turned her attention to him. His eyes remained forward. "It doesn't matter what they think. You're a wife, not a single mother." With that said, he fell into silence once more.

Sakuno couldn't help the smile that touched her lips. Somehow, she knew he would say that. She stopped looking at the faces of strangers and concentrated on getting to where the food was.

The restaurant they visited was more of a café. Ten spotless tables were all that could be supported by the structure. The menu was small, but there seemed plenty that Sakuno found enticing for her growing appetite.

Tezuka was kind enough to go over to the counter to put in the order for both. Sakuno watched him, trying to blend in and not feel awkward.

He returned shortly with a cup of juice for her to start. Looking at him, something occurred to her, forcing her to ask. "Will you be able to attend the doctor's appointment next week?"

So close to time she just wanted to have his support. Her grandmother could only do so much and it made her feel bad to have to force her grandmother to continuously look after her. On top of that, the last time she went with her grandmother, other people had assumed she was a single parent.

"Yes," he said. She released the breath she didn't know she was holding.

The rest of the dinner was easy to handle now that she had one less worry. They talked a little about school and what might be expected once tennis began again after the winter.

Inui-senpai had everyone on a strict regiment. Tezuka had been getting home later than usual because of his duties as captain, plus his own private workouts.

She wasn't sure what it was her husband did to train, but whatever it was she had seen a major improvement in his body structure. He'd built up some serious muscles since working with Inui.

She couldn't wait to be able to go back to witness how his tennis had further evolved, even if she had to do with the baby. She missed the cheering and watching volleys. She missed sitting on the sidelines, worrying about how the guys were going to win their matches without getting hurt.

There was so much she didn't get to do right now, that she was almost afraid that she was going to lose her mind when she finally did get the chance to go back to the school.

"Tezuka, I thought that was you," she heard a voice say behind her. She watched as Tezuka froze for a slight moment, before nodding carefully.

"Atobe, I wouldn't have expected you here."

Sakuno froze, knowing she was too late to try and hide her appearance. Her heart felt like it was trying to escape from her chest, she was so frightened by what he might say to her.

Tezuka stood, seemingly unconcerned to be caught by his "rival". She felt eyes on the back of her head. Her twin braids probably gave her away and she regretted, not for the first time, that she had yet to change her hairstyle.

"You remember Ryuzaki-sensei's granddaughter," Tezuka pointed to her. When Atobe nodded Tezuka helped her to stand. The tennis captain of Hyotei's eyes were glued to the protrusion in from of Sakuno as Tezuka bit her to step outside for a moment.

"What was that?" Atobe said as soon as she was out of hearing. "I see you have been busy."

Tezuka turned toward him, standing tall. "She's my wife. So if you think I'm supposed to be ashamed of my behavior then you are sorely mistaken." He headed toward the door, where Sakuno stood waiting for him. Just before he left he turned back toward Atobe to say, "I would inform you to hold your tongue, but that would imply that I'm hiding. I don't care who knows, but I do care if she comes to harm from your words."

Let him think on that for a while.

* * *

Sakuno was worried if she were doing the right thing. She was heavily pregnant, and supposed to be in hiding, but her grandmother forgot important paperwork.

She waddled her way along, fighting to keep her head held high as she passed students who stared at her, recognizing her by the twin braids she had yet to do anything about.

'I can do this,' she said quietly. She glanced down at the ring on her left hand. She was a married woman, not a fallen woman. No matter what they could say, she had married the father of her child.

The whispers began before she had gone very far. The tears came to her eyes as she fought to keep them steady.

More and more students came to watch her. She tried not to falter. She tried desperately to make herself believe that none of this bothered her, but it was so hard when all she wanted to do was hide away and never show her face again.

A figure stepped in front of her just as her head drop. She didn't notice until she felt hands gripping her shoulders. "What are you doing here?" Tezuka demanded.

Sakuno held up the folder she had been carrying for her husband to see. Tezuka allowed her to hide her face in his chest as she lost the battle with her tears, determining it to be his duty not to allow her to suffer the jeering students on her own. He would never be rid on his own disgrace.

"Do you want me to take the notebook to Ryuzaki-sensei?" She shook her head. She was going to get through this, no matter what. She could do it, if she just tried hard enough.

Oishi, who Tezuka had finally confided in, stood transfixed by the actual evidence of Ryuzaki's granddaughter carrying Tezuka's child. "I…I can take it," he said finally. "You take your wife home. I'll tell Ryuzaki-sensei."

Oishi hadn't realized his error, until he heard the massive cries of, "wife" float through the crowd.

Tezuka retrieved the papers from Sakuno's grip. In a way he was glad to have Oishi announce the news. It made whatever cruel rumors that might have spread, would now be checked by Sakuno's status as married.

And when the apparent father was someone respected…well, everyone knew better than to speak ill of Tezuka.

Tezuka guided Sakuno off the grounds as swiftly as possible. He did need to get back to practice.

* * *

The contractions began shortly before noon. Being alone in the house, Sakuno slowly made her way toward the hospital, just glad that her water hadn't broken yet.

By three, she was in so much pain she didn't know how to handle it. She'd had the nurse call her grandmother at the school hours ago, but no one had made it there yet. She was all alone and she hated that feeling.

* * *

"Tezuka," Ryuzaki-sensei said to him once she pulled him aside. "You have to get to the hospital immediately."

She needn't say anymore before he took off, jogging past his friends in his tennis regulars uniform.

He was too deeply in his thoughts to notice Kikamaru dragging Fuji after him as both sought to keep up with Tezuka. The two close friends were concerned to see their captain taking off at such speeds, clearly worried about something.

"What do you think is wrong?" Fuji asked quietly as they kept pace together. His friend shrugged. Surprisingly, neither had heard about Sakuno's visit to the school.

They didn't grow concerned until they saw him entering the hospital. They glanced at each other, wondering if Tezuka was having problems with his arm again. It had been a long while since he'd shown signs of having pain, so they'd assumed they would never have to worry again.

They hurried their steps, finding their captain turning toward the elevators. They ran to catch up, making it inside the same elevator with him just before the doors closed. "So Tezuka," Fuji said, "Are we going to see the doctor?"

Tezuka closed his eyes as he felt a headache begin to pound in his head.

"Eh?" he heard come from Eiji, "This is the button for the Maternity ward that's lit." Both men turned to their captain.

Tezuka sighed, wondering how the two could have missed all the commotion from eariler. These two he'd never get rid of unless he told the truth. "My wife is giving birth."

"Wife," both yelled. Tezuka nodded once.

"Ryuzaki's granddaughter, Sakuno is here about to give birth to my child. That is why I am here at the hospital and not on my way to practice." He tried to suggest that the two head back to the school and practice, but neither would have that.

Both were eager to question their friend about what happened to have caused this new development. Everyone knew that Sakuno had always had a thing for Echizen, so to have her suddenly married to some one else and about to give birth to a child was big news indeed.

"A baby Tezuka huh?" Eiji said, his mind imagining a mini Tezuka. Fuji's smile increased greatly. They were gong to have so much fun with a baby around. And he'd get to be "uncle" Fuji. "I have to see this."

Tezuka went into the birthing room with his wife once the elevator door opened. The other two sat in the waiting room to wait for the verdict of boy or girl.

"It's amazing isn't it?" Fuji said once they were alone. "A baby."

Eiji nodded. "I never would have expected it of our stoic Tezuka. It's no wonder his relationship with Ryuzaki-sensei was a little strained for a while. She must have been really angry when she found out."

All Fuji could say in reply was, "I bet she was."

* * *

Sakuno felt like she couldn't push anymore. Her body had worked so hard to get the baby out, but she still had more to go.

Tezuka stood besides her, calmly holding her hand as she squeezed and screamed all while trying to push out what felt like a huge boulder. He'd said not a word since he arrived, simply taking his place and waiting for it to be over.

"The head is crowning," she heard the doctor say. "One more push should be all we need."

She felt tears pricking her eyes. She didn't want to push. She was tired of pushing and felt that if she had to push one more time, she was going to pass out. "Push," Tezuka said calmly.

That one command seemed to give her the energy she needed to bear down one last time. She gritted her teeth, her voice feeling strained from all the screaming from earlier.

Finally, she heard the tiny cry signifying that it was over. "It's a boy," someone, possibly the doctor, said. Something wet and squirming was settled on her chest. Everything after that was a blur.

She was aware of her husband slowly reaching out to run a finger along the line of their son's face, as if he too couldn't believe what they had accomplished together. The baby opened his eyes slowly, staring up at her. Sakuno's heart skipped a beat she was so in awe.

He was perfect. And he was her baby.


	5. Chapter 4

Here's chapter 4 for you guys. I would have had this out eariler, but I was visiting my brother in Iowa and then my computer at work broke down, so I couldn't do what I wanted to do. That's okay though, because I have it now, and hopefully you guys will enjoy it, like I enjoyed writing it. Keep the reviews coming, it really makes my day better. I think I'm going to try to go back over chapter 3 again today, so I might re-upload it sometime soon.

Disclaimer: Need I really have to say it?

Chapter 4

"Ryoma-sama, why won't you go out with me? You promised you'd take me to dinner."

Echizen Ryoma shrugged, not particularly happy to be bothered at this point. When he first started hanging out with Tomoka it was not supposed to be this troublesome. She spent way too much time nagging him about little things when he needed to focus on his tennis.

Didn't she understand that his tennis was important, more important than anything else? Hell, the way she was acting he would have done better to just have gone out with Sakuno. She was quiet most of the time.

Which reminded him… "Hey Tomoka, have you seen or heard from your friend?"

Tomoka made a disgusted face to show her lack of interest of the topic. "I don't give a damn where that little whore has gone. I can't believe she actually trapped Tezuka-buchou into believing that he's the father of her little bastard."

"Who's a bastard," they heard behind her. They all turned around to see Sakuno pushing a stroller before her and a diaper bag thrown over her right shoulder. Her hair was much shorter now, the twin braids gone, making her look a little older than before. She finally didn't look too much like a little girl anymore, though it was clear she still wasn't an adult.

Tomoka's mouth dropped as she stared. Sakuno didn't bother to look at her "friend", instead she focused on Ryoma and the freshmen trio behind him. "Have you seen my grandmother?"

Ryoma pointed toward the school. Sakuno waved with a smile as she made her way inside. When she was out of sight, Tomoka turned to Ryoma. "Did you see that? She actually had the nerve to bring the baby here. Has she no shame what so ever?" She ran off without another word, determined to find out what was going on.

* * *

Sakuno handed little Akira over to his father to hold. Her grandmother wanted her to tape the practice for data since Inui-senpai was going to take part in the practice matches.

Inui-senpai would still do the majority of the information gathering when it came to the other schools, but Sakuno's job was to help him when needed. With the baby, she hadn't wanted to go to other schools and risk getting herself into trouble.

"Did you bring blankets to cover him," Tezuka inquired, "Today's practice will be long."

She nodded holding up one of the bags she had. Tezuka grabbed one of the lighter blankets, using it to cover Akira's back on his way out.

Sakuno moved to follow her husband, when she felt a hand on her elbow. "Sakuno," her grandmother said, pointing to the camera, "Don't forget that."

"Oh," she said. She ran back to the desk, grabbing the camera and all her baby's things. Tezuka waited for her just outside the door, repeatedly tapping against his son's back.

"Do you want me to take him," she asked him. He nodded in the negative as he continued on. Together they headed toward the tennis courts, ignoring the stares once the students caught sight of the baby stroller and baby over Tezuka's shoulder.

At the courts it was more of the same; most of the players stared, trying to get a good look at the baby. Of the tennis team, it hadn't mattered at all. Tezuka was still their captain and he was damn good at his job.

"Baby Tezuka," Eiji shouted, waving his hand frantically as he bounced from foot to foot. "Let me see, let me see." He went running to the side of his captain, ignoring everything else, except for the tiny face peaking from the blanket. "There you are, baby Tezuka and look, you're awake too. Hoi hoi."

Sakuno bit back the laugh that wanted to escape. Eiji, Fuji, and Oishi had been stopping by the house nearly every day since Akira's birth, nearly always bearing a gift they thought the baby might need.

Murmurings of, "Baby Tezuka," could be heard throughout the school grounds. Sakuno felt her cheeks heat up slightly, but she refused to be embarrassed.

She knew this would happen and had been prepared mentally for this moment. She pushed the stroller closer to the fence, leaving her husband to argue why he wouldn't allow Eiji to carry the baby.

She parked the stroller in the guys' dressing room. The likelihood of her son being set down for long was extremely low when he was out in public. If she wasn't holding him, either her grandmother or Tezuka had him. If none of them had the baby, then somehow he managed to make his way to Fuji or Eiji. Oishi held him only once so far and had been traumatized when Akira spit up on him.

She allowed a bit of laughter to escape. The sight of Oishi's face had been more than enough entertainment at the time.

She pulled out the video camera, checking it to make sure she could work it. When she knew it would work she left the locker room, carrying her baby bag over her shoulder.

Seemed she was just in time too. All the team members, with the exception of their captain who was on baby duty, were in the middle of their laps.

She moved to take her position by her husband when a body came to stand in front of her blocking her exit. Sakuno glanced into the eyes of Tomoka, an extremely angry Tomoka.

Behind Tomoka were other females, mostly admirers of Tezuka, while there were those who were eager to cause a lot of trouble for Sakuno as a new teenage mother.

"What is the meaning of this Sakuno? What the hell are you doing this time?"

"Doing," Sakuno said blankly. "What do you mean what am I doing? I'm assisting my grandmother as the new manager for the tennis club. And then this evening I intend to take my son home with my husband and do some of my homework."

Tomoka opened her mouth to speak, but Sakuno cut her off. "I don't want to hear it. I'm sick of you calling me a whore. Unlike you, I've only been with one man and that is the one I married. You don't scare me anymore and anything you can say will be meaningless."

She pushed through the crowd, holding her triumphant smile. Let them try to gossip. All she cared about was her baby.

* * *

Tezuka glanced over his teammates who were staring at his shoulder. Secretly, he found amusement in the reactions to Sakuno's audacity. Even he hadn't thought she would bring the baby with her.

"What are you all staring at? Fifty laps now." His players jumped, as if jolted by electricity. They took off to complete their tasks, still mostly in a daze.

"Are you sure you don't want me to take him?"

He glanced out of the corner of his eye to where his wife stood, video camera in hand. "You've had him all day," was all that he said. He knew she took it to mean he was giving her a break. When really, he just felt like holding his son.

After the laps were completed to satisfaction, the regular drills were begun using the threat of the new and improved penal tea Inui had been working on as incentive for improvement.

Those performing consistently sub-par were moved to the side of the courts, for extra laps and drills. The regulars were moved into specialized drills, the drills that they needed Sakuno to tape.

The regular's selection was approaching soon and all needed to be ready to perform their best.

Tezuka paused as he heard a tiny grunting sound in his ear, coupled with a slight smell. He sighed, knowing what that meant. He looked over the players performing their drills when an idea occurred to him.

"The first loser of this next drill must change my son's diaper."

The regulars glanced between one another uneasily, not sure how to take it, most having never seen a diaper in their life. Fuji took an instant loss. "Oh well," he said. "I lose."

"You did that on purpose?" Momoshiro, who was his partner for this drill, said. Fuji shrugged, making his way to the baby to be changed.

"He's too cute to resist. Besides," he said, as his eyes turned toward his closest friend Eiji who was now throwing a fit about not being the one to hold the baby, "I like to see others suffer more. Come to uncle Fuji, Akira-chan," he said as he collected both the baby and the diaper bag.

Now relieved of his son for the moment, Tezuka pushed the others through more difficult drills. Sakuno took that time to run inside to check on Fuji and her son, worried to have him so far out of her sight, as she'd heard many new mothers were. She found Fuji already disposing of the soiled diaper.

Akira lay on the bench, waving tiny fists at the air as his feet were held high at the ankles. Fuji turned to her with a smile as she entered. "I think he might be a little hungry. He seems to be getting a bit fussy."

Sakuno went to tend her son as Fuji began to leave. He paused just outside the doorway, turning toward her slightly. "You know, I almost couldn't believe it, but, you're good for him, the baby too. You give him something to work for. He'll definitely go professional now."

"Really?" she asked the silence after he was long gone. Was it possible that she could be good for Tezuka-senpai when she'd only thought herself a burden all this time?

She glanced down at her son when he began to cry. "Did you hear that pa pa? Daddy might actually go pro." Although, when she thought about it, she wasn't aware that Tezuka had planned not to move forward.

* * *

Tezuka held his son in the crook of his right arm as he worked on completing his homework for the night. He glanced down briefly at the sleeping child.

Once asserting that Akira wouldn't wake, he rose, heading toward the bassinet on Sakuno's side of the bed. He lay the baby down gently, pausing only long enough to keep the baby from realizing he wasn't being held.

Tezuka went back to his homework. The team practice had run on much longer than he had liked, plus he still had to complete his own practice before he too could call it quits for the evening.

Luckily, he'd just had his dinner, so he didn't have to worry about starving while he worked. But he was exhausted. Between school work, tennis, and the baby he wasn't sure when the next time he'd get some real sleep would be.

His parents and Sakuno's grandmother gave some aid, but they believed that he and Sakuno had to do most of the work, since it was in fact their mistake that brought them to this.

With a sigh, he set aside his work before heading toward the bed. If he could manage to get to sleep before his son's next feeding, then perhaps he wouldn't feel so tired. Sakuno could take the first watch.

* * *

Sakuno tiptoed into the bedroom. All the lights were off, but with the window open and the full moon shining, she was able to see the bed. Tezuka sprawled along the width of the bed, the baby sleeping on his chest. A slight smile touched her lips at the sight.

She hadn't meant to make him watch the baby the first part of the night, but her grandmother had been feeling a little bit under the weather and she'd had to run to the store to get the medicine.

She took his glasses off her husband's face, setting them carefully on the nightstand where he could reach them in the morning. She began to peel his hands away from Akira, when his eyes opened. "Sakuno?" she heard him mutter.

"I'm sorry," she said. "Grandmother needed some medicine for her headache. If you want, I can take care of him now so that you can sleep."

Tezuka allowed her to hold the baby so he could sit up. Now free, he finished dressing for bed and climbed under the sheets like he had been meaning to do. He dropped off to sleep without another word.

Sakuno put the baby back down before she too dressed for bed. She climbed in on her side, curling up as far away from her husband as possible. She wasn't quite comfortable yet just touching him without having a reason.

He wasn't that sort of person to simply allow touch. She closed her eyes, attuning herself to the sound of the baby waking. By her reckoning he should be waking soon to be fed.

* * *

She was up before the first whimper could leave her son's lips. She took him out of the bedroom and into his nursery to feed him, thus leaving Tezuka to sleep. She did this off and on throughout the night, each time making sure Tezuka remained asleep.

Around six thirty in the morning she was awakened again by the gentle cries of her son. This time when she moved to get out of bed, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned back to look at her husband, who was already half off the bed. "I've got it," he said.

She lay back down, watching Tezuka with their son. It wasn't time for a feeding she didn't think, so he must have just wanted attention, attention he received when his father picked him up.

Just when she was getting ready to close her eyes she heard him speak. "This season, is supposed to be the most incredible yet. This could possibly be the deciding factor for me."

Her eyes opened, not really sure if his words were for her, but feeling the need to ask, "Are you going to reach for the pro level then?" she asked quietly. She saw him tilt his head slightly, his eyes totally focused on his son.

"Maybe. As Echizen would say, mada mada dane."

She chuckled slightly, tears pricking her eyes. She'd given up on ever trying getting Ryoma's love. But that didn't mean she'd lost her need to support someone. If Fuji was correct, then perhaps, "You can do it. You were already good, even when your arm kept hurting. I see the changes that have occurred in your body, and anyone can see that you keep improving. Fuji-senpai says you keep evolving as a player. Ryoma-kun still has trouble beating you, and he's supposed to be one of the best, right?"

Tezuka stared into her eyes for a long moment before nodding slowly. His eyes glanced toward the time. He had to leave if he wanted to get to school on time. He put Akira down. "We'll see how this season goes."

She watched him gather his necessities to take his shower. After he was gone, she got to thinking.

She turned on the baby monitor, taking her part with her into the bathroom. The shower was running and the outline of Tezuka's body was in full view. He paused in his scrubbing to peer around the edge of the curtain.

"Sakuno?"

She shuffled uncomfortably. "I wanted to wash your back," she said slowly, eyes on the floor to hide her embarrassment. She didn't see the slight frown that touched his face.

"I don't have time to play," he said.

"But, I didn't – I mean, I just wanted – we don't touch." Maybe she should have thought about how she wanted to word this without it sounding like a proposition.

"Touching is what brought us to this in the first place."

Without another thought, Sakuno dropped her nightgown. She was going to do this. She was going to touch her husband and he was going to accept her touch and they were going to grow used to each other.

They were going to grow closer and then she'd feel like she had an actual marriage. She wasn't going to be like the house wives in all those hentai films she'd discovered a liking for. She was going to get her husband to touch her, no matter how long it took.

"Please Tezuka-senpai." She stepped into the shower behind him, wrapping her arms about his middle. "I want to be able to do this, to hold you if I feel like it. I should be able to because I'm your wife and wives can do this with their husbands. So you should allow me to do this."

She felt the muscles in his back shift as he moved. She looked up to see him holding the washcloth out to her. "Hurry, then. I do have to get to school on time."

Sakuno took hold of the washcloth, her smile blinding. This was a start to a good relationship. She could feel like they could eventually grow to want to be together. They could even grow to love one another. And maybe one day soon, they could even share a kiss.


	6. Chapter 5

I had this desire to right a fantasy for Sakuno and it came to life in this chapter. I hope you guys continue to enjoy the fruits of my labor. I'd like to give a big thank you to all those who have reviewed so far. You help me keep this story going. Keep the reviews coming. Let me know you think

Disclaimer: See previous chapters

Chapter 5

_It was his kisses that were so addicting. Every time she felt his mouth on hers she felt like melting into a puddle. He was so slow and careful. His tongue brushed against her closed lips, asking her silently to part them._

_She opened to him, allowing his tongue further access to her. She moaned in pleasure, pulling him further by the back of his head._

_Sakuno whimpered as he made his slow careful way along her body. Feeling his lips against her skin put her in a blissful state. It felt so good, so amazing._

_His tongue circled around her right nipple, bringing it to a full erect state. She arched her back, trying desperately to push her breast into his mouth. He refused to move at her pace, keeping all his movements slow._

_She felt the sticky wetness trickling between her thighs, arousing her further. It had been so long, it seemed, since she'd been touched._

_He gripped her hard little nipple between his teeth, tugging slightly. An electric jolt shot the length of her spine, causing her to cry out. A flood of moisture pooled from between her thighs to the soft mattress beneath her._

_Her hands, gripped the back of his head, pulling him closer, forcing him to take more of her breast. His skin felt so hot against her it was almost burning her._

_His cock felt heavy against her thigh and she wanted it inside her, now. But he wouldn't give her what she wanted. He pulled away, switching his treatment to her other, neglected nipple._

_He repeated his slow process, running just the tip of his tongue around the nipple but never touching it direction._

_Sakuno writhed, grinding her hips against his in an attempt to relieve some of the pressure. Whatever she did it wasn't enough to bring her to completion, and he seemed to know that._

_She gripped his shoulders tightly, marveling that such strong muscles could belong to one man and that that man belonged to her. "Please, touch me more. I want you inside of me," she said, short of breath._

_She felt his body vibrate as he chuckled. He lifted his head from her teat, raising high enough to look her in the eyes. Without his glasses on he was more stunning than any one she'd ever seen, his eyes more piercing to have lost that barrier holding him back._

_"Not, yet," he said before his lips took possession of her lips. He dominated her, his tongue swirling in her mouth, tasting every corner of her. The taste of him, as she battled his tongue, was indescribable, something so Tezuka, that it could not be compared to anything._

_He pulled away, laying nips along her jaw line and down her long neck. His path brought him down to her stomach where he kissed every single inch of skin. He dipped his tongue into her navel, causing her to giggle slightly._

_Her breath caught when she felt his hands spreading her thighs, releasing her fragrant juices to the air. Cool air touched her, adding to her pleasure just before she felt the hotness of his mouth upon her._

_She screamed as her orgasm swept through her body. Her body arched into his mouth, flooding him with her juices._

_Tezuka's hands gripped her hips tightly, keeping her steady as he gave her no rest. She gripped the bed sheets as she tried to catch her breath, to get away from his relentless mouth, or possibly to just stay put, she didn't know at this point, nor did she care._

_She just wanted him inside her so badly that she felt she would lose her mind if he made her wait any longer. "Please Senpai, now."_

_The burning hot tip of his cock made contact with her. She sighed in pleasure as it began to press against her, seeking entrance to her body. Her legs fell wide open as she presented him with all that she could._

_She watched Tezuka's face as his hips shifted forward, pressing more of him inside her. This was what she had been waiting for; this was what she wanted so badly._

_She closed her eyes for a moment to savor the feeling and…_opened her eyes to the sounds of her son wailing for nourishment.

Sakuno shot up in bed, confused about the dream that had felt so real. She felt tears prick her eyes as her body burned with lust and something else, something more akin to horror to have actually dreamt something so blasphemous. The shower she had taken with her husband must have affected her brain more than she'd thought.

She rose from the bed to attend to her son, getting him fed, changed, and back down. She had some homework to do, but her mind couldn't focus properly on anything other than that dream.

It wasn't as if she were in love with her husband or anything, she really hardly knew him at all. It was just, she felt like she was aware of his appeal ever since she'd slept with him. He was so similar, and yet so different from Ryoma-kun, who'd she usually dreamt about in such a fashion.

He was so strong and powerful. Rarely did he ever lose his cool. Tezuka was used to control and it showed. She was actually lucky he remained at her side when she got pregnant.

She was just a silly girl, while he…he was amazing. She sighed. She was infatuated with him and it did no good to deny that, but as the mother of his child, was infatuation enough? Shouldn't she love him like she knew she loved Ryoma-kun?

Her feelings, mixed up horribly. She didn't know what Tezuka-senpai wanted from her and he was prone not to explain anything. She didn't know what she herself wanted either.

Yes, she came to the conclusion that she and Tezuka-senpai should work to get along, but what about Ryoma-kun? Where did her feelings for him fit into all of this?

"Oh, I don't have time for this," she moaned. She had work to do and then she had to get to the practices to help out during the intra-school ranking matches.

* * *

Tezuka looked over the final schedule for the ranking matches. He had a feeling that this year would be even more interesting than any year before.

He heard the door opening behind him. He turned in time to catch the ever present stroller make its way into the office, pushed by Sakuno. He glanced at his watch. "You're early," he said.

She nodded. "I wanted to get here to see if you needed help. Besides, I think Akira wanted to see his daddy." She proceeded to place said baby into his father's right arm, leaving the left one free to finish whatever he was doing.

Tezuka glanced down to see his son's eyes staring up at him calmly. Behind him, he felt Sakuno hesitate for a moment before she wrapped her arms around his neck in a hug from behind.

He tilted slightly to give her a better position to glance over his shoulder. "I suppose you were serious this morning then," he said rather than asked her. He felt her nod slowly, her arms tightening for a moment.

"I want us to try get along for Akira." She left his side for a moment to go digging through the baby bag. "I brought you some snacks, just in case you were hungry. I read somewhere that an athlete should eat five times a day instead of just three."

The snack wasn't much, just some cut up fruit slices and a bottle of water, but it was about the care she had taken and the thought she had given to his needs. "Thank you," he said, accepting both items.

Just when she would have said something Oishi walked into the office. "Tezuka," he began, bowing once in apology to Sakuno for interrupting, "coach is asking for the schedule."

Tezuka shifted the baby a little higher in his arms as he stood; bring his son to an upward position facing out. He turned to Sakuno who was collecting his finished snack. "Who will film the practices? There will be too many for you to do it alone."

Sakuno tapped her finger against her lip as she thought about it, "Well, the AV club agreed to loan us use of their video equipment. Those not allowed to compete in the ranking matches have agreed to help."

Tezuka handed the poster board over to his vice-captain. When he turned back to his wife he said, "I want you to concentrate on the baby then. Let the others do the work while you look over Inui's data."

"Hai," she said.

* * *

Tomoka, Horio-kun, Inoue-san and his assistant Shiba were gathered around the court where Ryoma was scheduled to play by the time Sakuno had gotten hold of Inui-senpai's notebook.

Since Tezuka still held their son as he spoke to Ryuzaki-sensei, she had time to get the stroller situated in a good position under a tree for shade.

With that settled she headed toward the others to give her hello to the tennis sports writer. "Inoue-san, Shiba-chan, how are you? Have you come to check our team out this year too?"

"Of course," Shiba said excitedly. "I'm excited to see just how much Ryoma-kun has improved. He must be so amazing by now."

Sakuno said nothing, but then it was very difficult to get a word in when Tomoka kept expounding on Ryoma-kun's many talents as a tennis player. So, she turned toward the last place she saw Tezuka and the baby.

They were headed toward her, Eiji walking along still trying to get the baby to smile at him. Tezuka managed to deposit Akira in her arms, turning away to head toward his own match. Eiji was allowed only a moment more to try to entice the baby to smile before he too had to run along.

When Sakuno turned toward the others, she was met by the dropped jaws of the older fans. "Is that?" Inoue-san managed to say.

Sakuno looked down, a smile on her face. "Yes, this is Akira, my son."

"What! I would have thought you'd be with Ryoma-kun," Shiba shouted, pointing straight at the baby's face. "He looks nothing like Ryoma."

"No," Sakuno said defensively, "but he does look like his father."

"She got pregnant by captain Tezuka," Tomoka said, superiority dripping from her voice. Both adults stared disbelievingly at Sakuno who shrugged as if unconcerned.

"Tezuka-senpai and I are married, so I don't see where it's a problem, Tomoka."

When Sakuno turned her eyes from Tomoka to Inoue-san and Shiba, she was surprised to see two faces so closely looking at her son. "He is a cutie," Shiba squealed. "Look at how little he is."

Sakuno smiled, offering Shiba the chance to hold Akira. The older woman spared no time at all, before she had the baby cuddled to her, reminding her of Eiji's behavior. But, it allowed her to spend time looking over Inui's notes like Tezuka requested of her.

Although she had no idea what it was she was supposed to be looking at, she read through the pages on all the players, including notes on Ryoma. When she drew to the mountain of pages about her husband she paused.

Was this what he wanted her to see? Was he concerned that Inui had too much information on him and was looking for ways to counteract the data?

She wasn't sure, but she ran back toward the tree where'd she left the baby stuff. She swiftly searched through the back pack she carried looking for a notebook and pen of her own to copy everything down.

Even if Tezuka didn't want her doing this, she thought it couldn't hurt to help him look at his habits. Maybe he could find a way on his own to continue improving his playing.

An idea occurred to her as she copied the notes. What if Tezuka wanted her to be able to collect data as good as Inui-senpai? The other teams would be much less likely to notice a young female with a baby hanging around then they would another player right?

As team manager it was her job to help the team and if she could do this, then that would make her feel worthy of her position. Maybe. Hell, the likely thing to happen would be that she'd be terrible at data collection and Inui would have to work over time to fix her mistakes.

"I won't think that way," she said to herself. She was intelligent. Intelligent women could do anything.

Only, she had no idea about the complexity of science that Inui-senpai knew. So really, she probably would be useless in that regard. She sighed. She was just so confused about what she should do to help the team.

How did one go about collecting data? She knew she wasn't supposed to go to other schools to collect data, but was the plan about to change? Was she really going to be expected to do something else, or was this something that was just going to keep her busy?

"Oh forget it," she said, putting aside the notebooks. She'd just go back to taking care of her son and wait for Tezuka-senpai to finally get around to explaining this mysterious plan of his.

* * *

"Why is your wife looking through my notes," Inui asked his captain after the first day of matches.

Tezuka stared out over the freshmen clearing the court for the next day. "I want to see if she can figure it out," was all he said.

Both watched her approach, Eiji following behind her with a great smile on his face, now that he got to hold the baby. "Baby Tezuka, smile for uncle Eiji," he kept saying over and over again.

Sakuno presented Inui's notebook back to him with a bow. "Thank you for allowing me the use of your notes, Inui-senpai. I would be honored if you could help me decipher through some of your methods so that I too may be helpful to the team."

Inui turned to his captain, but Tezuka did not return the look, leaving the decision to the data specialist.

He assessed the look on Sakuno's face, searching for something that would inform him of which way to decide. He knew she probably genuinely wanted to help the team win, but he couldn't help but think that she might have another agenda as well.

'Oh well,' Inui shrugged it off. Whatever it was she hoped to accomplish probably didn't concern him. "Meet me tomorrow before the morning practice if you can. We'll discuss options then."

"Thank you."

"Ah, don't take baby Tezuka," Eiji whined. Inui and Sakuno turned to watch as Tezuka began prying Akira away from the exuberant doubles player. "Why can't I hold him?"

"We're going home, Kikumaru." Tezuka managed to get the baby away from Eiji, but wasn't able to keep the other from following behind.

"Eh?" was all Inui could manage for a bit. "I still don't understand his fascination with the baby."

Sakuno sighed. "I think it has to do with the cuteness. It reminds him of his teddy bear, or something like that." She really wasn't too sure she understood it either. She turned back, "Until tomorrow Inui-senpai."

With that, she ran after Tezuka, pushing the stroller.

* * *

Tezuka stared very carefully at the diaper his son wore. He wasn't sure how he felt about the little cuddly bears, but that didn't concern him at the moment.

What he had to concentrate on was how it was put on. So far, he had managed to go without ever having to change his son's diaper, but tonight he couldn't escape it. Neither woman was in the house to do the changing of the diaper.

The wiggling and the crying didn't help his plight. Weren't babies supposed to remain still for this part?

"Okay," he said quietly, removing first one tab and then the other. He paused once more to build the courage, to open the diaper and possibly discover a mess he had no wish to ever clean up.

The stench, confirmed his worst fears. Tezuka rushed through the process as explained by both Ryuzaki-sensei and Sakuno. Once the task was accomplished, he clothed the baby in his nightwear and fed him from the prepared bottle. Under normal circumstances it would be time for bed, but on this night Akira just refused to sleep.

Tezuka glanced over his work desk where he still had plenty of work to finish before he went to bed. Beneath that were brochures for tennis programs abroad, gifted to him by Banji, the coach from Yamabuki Jr. High. The old man had been pestering him for years about going to the United States to realize his true talents.

Every time that he put the old man off so far, he kept coming back with another program that he thought would be excellent for Tezuka. He sighed, bouncing his son a bit to calm the crying. He didn't know what he was going to do. Being married and a father was just too much of a complication.

He would graduate this year, but what about Sakuno? She still had a couple of years left which could push his own plans back to hit the professional world. Akira continued to cry, as if understanding his father's pain.


	7. Chapter 6

I bet some of you were thinking that I wouldn't be back for a long time. Well, you were partly correct. With the season and everything going on, it did take me a bit of time to get this ready enough to upload. I hope it was worth the wait. Thank you so much to those who have placed this on their favorite's list. I honestly wasn't expecting that sort of response with this story. You guys are all great readers and keep me going.

Disclaimer: See previous chapters.

Chapter 6

Sakuno looked carefully over the copy of the notes she'd taken from Inui-senpai's notebook, but still was unsure how she was to interpret it.

"Tezuka-senpai, have you taken a look at this?" She turned to her husband who was dressing Akira in the new outfit his mother had made for him. It was such a cute outfit that Sakuno had decided to take the baby to get some professional photos done.

Tezuka turned slightly toward her. "Yes," he said. "He even has notes about Akira."

Sakuno set the notebook aside for the moment since she was heading to the school with Tezuka and the team's morning practice. She stretched her arms high over her head before turning toward her husband who had just finished dressing the baby.

"Do we have everything ready?" she asked him. He nodded, carrying the baby facing down across his forearm.

Sakuno gathered together her backpack and the fully stocked baby bag along with an extra blanket for just in case. As she was taking the bus she wouldn't be able to take the stroller without help. She was going to be out of the house for the whole day, so she knew she had to prepare for everything.

Tezuka settled the baby in the carrier before he lifted it in his left hand. He led the way to the bus stop, leaving Sakuno to follow behind him at her own pace.

On the bus Akira decided he wanted to be held and fussed until he was in his father's arms. Both noticed how the females on the bus reacted to his actions. Sakuno couldn't help but be intrigued by the way the girls vied for his attention, even when it was apparent that Tezuka wasn't interested.

It wasn't really something that she noticed before since she had always barely paid attention to the tennis captain before they were in this mess. Now that she was aware, she found it interesting that someone with such a cold front could garner such attention.

'What am I thinking? What about Ryoma and his fan club? He never seems to encourage the attention.' She let loose a chuckle she thought was well kept.

"What is so funny?" she heard Tezuka ask. Over his left shoulder Akira's face rolled into view.

She shook her head, leaning forward to smile at her son. "Hi pa pa. Hi mommy's sweetheart." She got a smile from her son, which caused her to practically squeal, "There's that smile."

"Sakuno," Tezuka said quietly. "I asked you a question."

Her eyes shifted from her baby boy to her husband, a slight smile on her face. "Seeing those girls fawn over you just reminded me of Tomo-chan and her Ryoma fan club." She shrugged as if it weren't so important.

They said nothing else for the rest of the trip. When their stop arrived, Sakuno grabbed the carrier by its handle as she waited for the bus to stop. Tezuka stood first, carrying the baby out into the school grounds.

Sakuno stepped down to his side. It had been too long since she had to come to the school in the morning like this, when many of the sports clubs began morning practices.

She glanced around, remembering what her life had been like before she'd gotten pregnant. The girls' tennis team members were already gossiping on their way to change into their uniforms.

Around the corner were the guys. Inui had already changed into his uniform and stood waiting for her. Tezuka continued to walk, allowing Sakuno to do what she wanted to do.

Sakuno bowed before Inui. He in turn, returned the favor before pointing toward the courts where one of the players was already beginning to practice.

* * *

"Information gathering is a very delicate art. For those without the scientific minds, information gathering is meaningless. What I need you to look for is habits or the clues that tell you the actions they are about to take."

Sakuno made sure she wrote down the important things that Inui said. She understood that she wasn't guaranteed to get anything right, but if she did her best then perhaps it would be helpful.

'Hm, I could probably do like Momochan-senpai as well and gain personal information.' Looking through Inui's notes she'd noticed he sometimes had a habit of missing personal information in favor of looking at tennis skills.

"Do you know what schools you will be visiting today?" he asked her.

Sakuno shrugged. "I don't think I was going to do too much spying today. It's difficult to say who will be practicing when. Plus I kind of wanted to be here for the ranking matches. Tezuka-senpai believes that this will be the best season yet."

Inui pushed his glasses back on top of his face. "He's probably right. The talent had definitely improved around here."

They discussed a few more techniques for information gathering before Inui had to go practice. Sakuno stayed to watch, practicing her information gathering techniques on the players.

Her grandmother had decided to hold Akira while Sakuno gave her full attention to the practice. When it was all over, Sakuno grabbed her son to head for a good coffee shop where she could sit and await the opening of the malls.

After she got the pictures taken of Akira and did a little window shopping, she'd return to have lunch with Tezuka at the school. And after that she'd probably drop Akira off with Tezuka's parents for the night. After that, she'd figure out something to do.

* * *

"Smile for mommy," Sakuno kept saying, doing her best to get Akira to smile. This time he wouldn't listen to her, being much too occupied with trying to stuff the tennis ball into his mouth. "Come on, pa pa, you can smile.

For just a single moment he looked up at her. He lifted the ball with both his hands, revealing the words Seigaku High across his shirt. Very quickly the photographer took the photo of the moment Akira squealed with joy.

Sakuno too squealed, knowing that the photo was bound to be the absolute best photo ever taken of a baby. She bowed to the photographer repeatedly, thanking him for his time and effort.

According to him, it would take him about two hours to have all her photos ready, more than enough time for her to go looking around the mall.

Since having Akira she found she spent more time shopping for baby items than actually looking for things for herself. The first store she entered had some of the cutest hats for babies. She wanted to buy one so bad but was afraid to do it.

She feared everyone instantly mistaking her son for Ryoma-kun's because he always wore a hat. Instead, she bought a few more sleeping outfits to be kept with his grandparents. It was easy to tuck the small bag in her backpack.

The two hours over, she rushed over to the photographer's to pick up the photos of Akira. That done, she rushed toward the nearest bus stop, praying that she choose the correct one and didn't get lost like she was prone to do.

She had one hour to get to the school and find Tezuka so they could have lunch as a family and if she missed this, she was sure he wouldn't allow for another try.

* * *

"Taka-san has invited all the regulars to his father's restaurant after practice," Tezuka said between bites of his specially made lunch.

Sakuno jumped slightly before replying, "Oh, what are you going to do then?"

"I said I'd think about it. It depends how the practice runs later this afternoon." Sakuno knew that every time he said that it meant that he intended to do his own workout and wanted to make sure that he had the time to do it to his satisfaction, especially since they would have a break from the baby.

They sat under a tree near the boys' courts together watching the few players get in a short practice. Sakuno turned her attention back to her husband who now had Akira. She couldn't help the soft smile touching her lips. "He's always so calm with you," she said suddenly.

Tezuka looked down at Akira who had fallen asleep in his father arms. He made a soft sound that could be interpreted as nearly anything. She decided to take it as a good sign.

"Do we have any idea who's going to make it to the regulars' team?" Sakuno asked. So far the usual regulars have managed to win all their matches the first day of the rankings. With two more days to go, it was possible that it could change.

"Whoever wins, the team will be strong and that is what matters."

Sakuno stared down at her lunch. Having conversation with Tezuka was just too difficult. He was just too quiet all the time, never speaking unless he absolutely had something to say. She should be used to it, what with the way Ryoma-kun always behaved, but she wasn't.

She was an all around friendly person. "Tezuka-senpai," she said softly. "Do you hate me?"

Tezuka glanced in her direction. "No," he said finally. "There is no reason to hate you."

"But…you don't talk to me. So I just wondered that's all," she fairly whispered. Tezuka looked straight into her eyes, everything just as stoic as usual. She was the first to turn her eyes away from him.

"How can we say much when you continue to call me senpai?" Sakuno paused, having never thought of that before. She didn't feel comfortable calling him anything other than senpai, but he was supposed to be more than that to her wasn't he?

He was her husband and as her husband, it seemed unusual to call him senpai. She sighed, adding it to the list of things she had to think about when it came to Tezuka.

Lunch ended not too long after, forcing Sakuno to have to leave the school with Akira. On the bus to her in-laws home, she thought about what Tezuka had said. It was true, although she was his wife she didn't always behave as the wife.

But, it was hard to know what to do when she was so young. She didn't even know his first name that well. What was she supposed to call him?

She glanced down at her son sleeping away in his carrier. "I don't suppose you know what mommy should do?" She wasn't surprised when she didn't receive an answer.

* * *

"Baby Tezuka pictures. So cute," Eiji said when Sakuno presented him with a wallet sized photo of the baby. The others were gathered around looking at their own pictures given to them.

"You didn't have to do this Sakuno-chan," Oishi said, although the smile on his face said that he was happy she did.

Sakuno shrugged it off. "I know I didn't have to, but I wanted to do something to boost the moral of the team. Since he's wearing a Seigaku uniform I thought, he looks kind like a mascot or something like that." She laughed sheepishly.

From the corner of her eye she watched her husband approach the group. She turned, preparing herself to speak with him in private. Now that she'd had some time alone, she'd come to a conclusion.

Before she opened her mouth to suggest they speak she heard Eiji say, "Eh, Tezuka. Look at baby Tezuka's smile." He waved the photo in front of his captain's face. Tezuka ignored him in favor of starting practice, forcing the regulars to run an extra ten laps, just because he felt like it.

Sakuno sat around while they worked out, working on building her own data technique while she watched Tezuka begin his own ranking match against Oishi. When he won this one, it would be his fourth win and his automatic entry into the regulars.

She glanced up at the sound of Tomoka's voice as she cheered on Ryoma. Sakuno glanced at her husband playing. "Tezuka-se…san," she finally whispered "See, it's easy to do. You just have to do it." That was what she intended to use until she could bring herself to ask for more.

With a relatively sad smile she gave up on her note taking, instead taking her place by the fence as she watched the progression of the match. She saw for herself, perhaps for the first time in her memory, just how good Tezuka was.

How could she have ever thought only Ryoma-kun had a beauty to his movements on the courts? Tezuka's movements were so much more graceful, so perfected compared to Ryoma.

Sure both males had the conceitedness of players who knew they were good. They were nationally ranked. Ryoma had played in the US Open and Tezuka had the scouts pushing for him to hit the pro circuit.

Many would think that she was almost dating Ryoma by being with Tezuka in a way, except she wasn't. 'Oh what am I thinking? Stop rambling Sakuno.'

The next time she looked up, Tezuka was shaking hands with his closest friend. She smiled heading toward the entrance to congratulate him and that way she should be able to speak with him as well.

She stood before him, waiting for him to finish giving advice to his friend. She smiled briefly at Oishi as he passed her by. Tezuka turned toward her, waiting patiently for her to either speak or to step aside so that he may leave the court.

Sakuno took a deep breath before she smiled. "Good job Tezuka-san," she said. He nodded his head in acknowledgment before guiding her away from the fence.

"I've decided we will gather at Taka-san's family restaurant with the others," he told her. Sakuno gave a nod. She didn't mind going to Taka-san's family sushi restaurant. The food was always excellent and it gave them the opportunity to be seen in a social gathering.

The matches for the second day ended soon after. All of the regulars gathered after they changed. Eiji and Fuji stood together discussing their favorite aspect of the photo given to them. Sakuno stood behind Tezuka being tested by Inui about note taking. Not too far away from her position, Tomoka latched on to Ryoma.

As a group they headed to the restaurant, where Taka-san's father was already in the process of making some of his specialties. Taka-san joined him, creating sushi that had everyone's mouths watering.

Sakuno sat the table with all the seniors. There was fun and laughter. None of the seniors thought ill of her for having been put Tezuka in a compromising position. They treated her like always.

For the first time since her marriage and motherhood, she truly felt relaxed and happy. It didn't even bother her that she occasionally felt the glare of Tomoka on her back.

After all, what did her obvious jealousy matter when she could have a good time?

* * *

Sakuno ate her fill; actually, she ate more than her fill and wondered if she was going to have enough energy to make it back home. Beside her, Tezuka walked slowly, keeping even with her for once.

"Dinner was fun wasn't it? Didn't you think hanging around the others was fun?"

"Yes," he said. Sakuno turned her eyes back forward, wondering what it was she should say next, or if she should actually say something at all. The night was nice and it didn't seem so bad to have silence.

When they reached the junction to reach the house, Tezuka guided her in a different direction. Sakuno followed along, curious as to where they were now going. She didn't actually voice her question, she just followed.

It wasn't long before they reached the street courts. They were empty at this time, but that didn't seem to matter at all to Tezuka.

He dug through his bag for a racquet, handing one to her before picking up his own regular one. "One set match," he told her.

"But I'm no good," she said softly. He shrugged, unconcerned with her talent level. When he simply took his place on the opposite side of the court, she soon followed.

"You serve first," he said and tossed her the ball. Sakuno grasped it tightly, getting ready for her first serve. She had no idea what it was he wanted, but she was determined to play at her best, however pitiful it was in comparison to her husband.


	8. Chapter 7

Happy late holidays and hope you are all having a wonderful New Year. This is my gift to you all. Thank you all for being such wonderful readers and reviewers.

Disclaimer has not changed. The New Year has not brought me extra cash unfortunately.

Chapter 7

Sakuno was so nervous about playing against her husband that she faulted the first serve into the net. The second serve just barely made it over the net. Tezuka hit the ball forehand, easily, allowing Sakuno the chance to hit it back.

They volleyed for a bit, Tezuka not using his full skills against her. It was…fun was the only word that came to mind for Sakuno. It was a game, but it didn't seem very serious at all.

As she ran back and forth, Tezuka trapped her in his Tezuka Zone, his favorite move that kept him from having to do much in the way of moving. Occasionally she did manage to trip over her over two feet, which was still embarrassing and didn't win her a single point this time around.

During Tezuka's turn to serve, he kept it relatively simple, but not totally easy for her. Sakuno struggled returning such serves, having no special techniques of her own to draw from.

Tezuka, of course, won all the games, but without her being aware, her own skills improved during each volley.

After Tezuka made match point, he repacked his racquets once more. "You bend your knees too much and you hold your grip incorrectly for the backhand. A two handed grip is fine to use until you're proficient enough to use a one handed backhand. You need to tighten your wrist as well."

Sakuno bit her lower lip as she nodded. Ryoma had been telling her that for years. She thought she had been doing much better, but she guessed that old habits died hard. "I'll try for next time," she said.

"You might as well practice it while you're at home when you can." They walked toward home, moving swiftly at this time of night.

Sakuno was surprised that he'd taken the time to actually play against her to determine her skills. She never thought that'd he'd be one to do that, especially since her skills were no where near his own.

But, she had to remember, he was the tennis captain. He was used to helping the others learn better skills. Why should he treat her any different?

"Tomorrow, when I pick up Akira, I was thinking of going by one of the other schools to see what their practices were like. Inui has given me a list of schools to visit and what information specifically he expects me to get. I figure I can do this quickly and get it out of the way before I make it to the school."

"Make sure you take the stroller," he told her. Sakuno didn't respond.

They continued on in silence, all the way back to the house, both lost in private thoughts and listening to the sounds of the nighttime. All the lights wre off in the house by the time they returned.

They were quiet as they made their way up the stairs, Sakuno walking ahead of Tezuka. Quietly, they conducted their normal nightly routines, each working separately.

Sakuno felt weird without the baby around to constantly wake her up for food, a diaper change, or attention. Having had her son, and bonding with him, she now couldn't imagine not having him around, needing attention.

While she finished changing Tezuka climbed into bed first, immediately falling asleep. Sakuno wasn't too far behind him, falling into an uneasy sleep, waking throughout the night hoping to hear her son cry.

She was miserable every time she discovered that no, the baby wasn't there and envious of Tezuka for his ability to be able to sleep properly without waking once during the night.

* * *

Akira was excited. His little arms and legs wiggled as he laughed. Warm water had always been his favorite kind of water to take a bath in. His mother leaned over him, splashing water on him gently to wash away the soap used to clean him. His father stood on standby with the towel to wrap him up, although he was out of the baby's sight.

He sat on the closed toilet seat, reading a tennis magazine his old trainer in Germany sent him in the mail. In the letter attached, she mentioned an article she really thought he'd been interested in.

Sakuno kept Akira's head above the water as she turned to Tezuka. "I think we're almost finished here. Just let me finish washing his hair."

"Yes," Tezuka said without looking up from the magazine.

Sakuno worked fast to finish bathing her son. Once done, Tezuka readied himself to take Akira into his arms, wrapping him tightly in the towel to keep the baby from feeling the slight chill in the air.

He brought Akira over to the changing table where his mother put a fresh diaper on his bottom and changed him into some nightwear. Akira wiggled around just enough to frustrate his mother.

Tezuka took control of bottle feeding Akira once Sakuno moved to take her own shower. He put him down to sleep without much of a fuss, knowing that Akira wasn't likely to sleep for very long. Akira never slept for very long during the first part of the night.

Tezuka finished reading his favorite articles in the magazine, mentally storing away some techniques he wanted to try. He was more than ready to admit that even he had to add new techniques to his extensive repertoire, especially if he were planning on hitting the pro circuit after graduation.

He stretched his arms over his head, feeling the slight ache from his own personal workout. A private talk with Inui gained him his very own workout routine. It allowed for him to use his own personal workout as a supplemental program.

Which reminded him… he had push ups to do. He dropped into push up position, ready to complete his last set of the night.

* * *

Sakuno entered her shared bedroom dressed in a towel. The moment she opened the door she caught sight of a bare-chest Tezuka completing push-ups. Sakuno paused, watching the muscles of his back ripple with movement. It was beautiful the way he moved, so beautiful she wanted to touch him so badly, but knew her touch wouldn't be welcomed at this very moment.

Moisture trickled between her thighs. She blushed, turning away quickly before he noticed.

She dressed in her pajamas, ensuring that she didn't once turn back until she had completely changed clothing. By the time she finished, Tezuka had finished his push ups. She was nervous about the way she looked. Teddy bears on her pajama pants wasn't exactly attention grabbing.

She turned catching him leaning over the bassinet to watch their son sleeping, looking like he was patting him on the back. "Did he wake up?" she asked.

"A bit." Tezuka continued to pat his son on the back.

Sakuno made her way to the shared desk to look over all the school work she had completed so far. She moved aside Tezuka's magazine and his school folders to reach her things.

Shuffling near the bed behind her told her Tezuka probably settled himself down for the night. She knew he had to be tired after all the working out he had done after the ranking matches. She knew he was dedicated to tennis but she hadn't known he was that dedicated until she watched him work.

She looked back for just a quick moment, to make sure he was in bed like she'd thought. When she turned she was met by the sight of his form huddled in the bed.

She smiled before she continued on with her task. By her calculation Akira would be awake at any moment. She had yet to figure out what's so particularly special about the first part of the night that he insisted on waking.

It was a matter of a half hour before she was forced to tend to her son. Once she put him back down, she made her way to her side of the bed. She'd been having a thought for the last few night about how she could get closer to Tezuka.

She curled up closer to her husband's back than she would on most nights. When he didn't move at all, she slid closer to him until she just touched his bare back. He still did nothing in answer to her sudden closeness. Feeling much better, she closed her eyes going to sleep for as long as she could before it was time to awaken once more.

* * *

Tezuka felt warmth along his back. His eyes remained closed as he assessed the situation. There was a hand on his hip, hair brushing his shoulders. The body felt feminine, so it had to be his wife sleeping pressed against him.

The slight whimpering, which had awakened him in the first place, sounded once more, alerting him to his son's needs.

Carefully, he slid away from Sakuno, moving toward his son. Akira's eyes were opened wide, staring at his father as he began to fuss. Tezuka leaned forward to pick Akira up into his arms.

He checked the diaper for moisture and changed it to a new one. That task done, he paced back and forth, moving to a calm rhythm designed to soothe his son into sleep. He was tired and ready to fall back into bed himself but on this night, for the very first time that he could remember, Akira didn't want to fall asleep.

Tezuka tried his hardest to remain calm, knowing that the only way to get the baby to sleep was to keep calm. He went down stairs to make a bottle of formula just in case he was hungry. Akira refused to be fed.

"What's going on?" he heard Sakuno asked, rubbing sleep out of her eyes.

Tezuka gently patted the baby's back trying a new technique to see if it will work. "I don't know." He held the bottle up for her to see, still full as Akira continued to fuss.

Sakuno stepped forward, offering to take him so that Tezuka could go get some sleep. "I'll just try to breast feed him then. He doesn't usually like drinking from the bottle, especially not at night."

Tezuka handed him over, taking himself off to get some sleep. Sakuno headed back upstairs behind him, choosing to go into the nursery instead of going back into the bed room, so as not to disturb her husband.

* * *

"Our first match is going to be soon and Inui has been working us to death," Momoshiro complained to anyone that listened.

"If you have breath to complain, then you've not worked hard enough. Twenty laps," Tezuka said from where he stood next to Oishi. He held his son in his arms as he watched the others finish with practice.

Just for the hell of it, Tezuka forced the others to run laps as well. He was sure they were trying to complain inward at well. "Are you going home after this?" Oishi asked his friend.

Tezuka turned the baby forward to keep the drool from his uniform. "Maybe," Tezuka said. He wasn't at all averse to hanging out before going home. From the nervous way Oishi behaved, he knew his friend was up to something. "What did you have in mind?"

Oishi shrugged. "I was thinking maybe we could go to the street courts after this and see what matches are playing. Or we can probably just go eat or something. Akira can come too if that is what you're worried about."

Tezuka felt his son's hands grab hold of his thumb, guiding the appendage to his mouth. He pulled it away. Since Sakuno had something to do, it would be good for him to keep out of the house for a while.

He finally nodded reluctantly. As long as he got home before it was time for Akira's feeding he would be okay.

They went to change, Tezuka pausing long enough to find the chest carrier for his son. While they changed, Oishi told Inui, Fuji and Eiji about the plans for that evening, inviting them along if they wanted.

Eiji and Fuji decided to tag along, wondering if they could actually find some decent opponents to face before the start of the season, sort of as a test of their current abilities. Inui just wanted to see if he could collect some interesting data.

The five players headed together to the street tennis courts, laughing and having a good time as they went. "So, do you think you'll play if you're asked," Fuji asked Tezuka.

"No," he replied. "I need to be near if Akira gets fussy."

Fuji's eyes traveled to Tezuka's chest where the baby road. He smiled, taking the time to tickle under the baby's chin. Ahead of them, Eiji volunteered to watch the baby should Tezuka want to have a match and was dismayed to be shot down on the offer.

At the courts, a couple of the players from Fudomine congregated around one of the courts, chatting and laughing. Kamio turned, catching sight of the Seigaku players and the baby being carried by the captain of the team.

"What's that?" he asked, pointing. The others turned to look as well.

"It's a baby," Fuji said, pausing his continued attempts to make the baby smile at him.

Kamio scoffed. "Well I can see that. What I want to know is whose baby is that and why is he with you guys?"

The rest of the team all pointed to Tezuka while Eiji made sure to proclaim, "That's baby Tezuka." Ibu stepped forward at that announcement, peering into the carrier for a better look as his fellow teammates fell over in surprise.

"I suppose he does look like you, although I never would have pictured you as a teenage father," he said calmly. He would have continued on into one of his usually lengthy monologues, but was interrupted.

"The real kicker is when you hear who the mother is," Eiji said, laughing until he caught sight of his captain's face.

"We're here, to enjoy tennis, not talk about a baby," Tezuka said, effectively ending the discussion of his son. He pushed forward into the gathering crowd where everyone was trying to get a look at the new addition in the Seigaku tennis captain's life.

Murmurings flew through the gathered players, everyone wanting to know who the mother of Tezuka's baby was. No one would have managed to play tennis if it weren't for Eiji.

Eiji decided he wanted to play a two on one match against the Fudomine doubles team. Fuji was then challenged to a match by Mizuki who showed up with Yuuta, Fuji's younger brother. Inui left to do what he did best, collect data. It left Tezuka and Oishi with the prime opportunity to watch some matches.

"It looks as if this season is going to be exciting. Everyone has improved so much."

"Yeah," Tezuka responded. His eyes glanced down toward his napping son. This time around, he decided, he wasn't going to hold back. He was going to fight for his career until the very end if need be. He owed it to his son.

The sound of Eiji's laughter drew him out of his thoughts. He began to unhook the straps keeping the carrier hooked to his chest. Oishi turned to him. "I thought you weren't going to play," he said. When Tezuka continued with his task, Oishi decided it would be prevalent to simply help instead.

Tezuka handed Akira over to his closest friend. It was time he showed that Tezuka Kunimitsu wasn't a weak player just because he now had a family.

* * *

When Sakuno arrived home to a house empty of both her husband and her son she figured, something must have happened to keep them out of the house. She wasn't concerned until it grew closer to Akira's feeding time.

"Grandmother," she asked, as she started preparing dinner. "Do you know what happened to Tezuka-san?"

Her grandmother looked at the clock, a slight frown on her face. "I thought Oishi said they were going to the street courts to play. They probably lost track of the time."

Sakuno nodded slightly. It would probably be best if she made her way over to the courts before Akira became fussy. Knowing how the players got when they were around a tennis court, she was sure that Tezuka just got distracted.

She left the house, running toward the street courts and praying that she actually didn't get lost on the way. At the courts, she saw Tezuka in the middle of a match against one of the Fudomine players.

Sakuno looked around further for her son. Oishi held him, looking frightened by something as he awkwardly bounced the baby. She waved to him, watching as he practically ran in her direction when he caught sight of her, thrusting the baby into her arms.

"I think he's hungry," Oishi said, red tainting his cheeks. When Akira began to nuzzle into her chest, looking for a nipple she finally understood what it was Oishi was embarrassed about.

She turned away quickly as her own embarrassment tainted her cheeks. To her knowledge there weren't any bathrooms near by and to wait until she got home would only send Akira into a fit.

He was already beginning to make a huge fuss and she had no bottle to give him at the moment. Plus, this was about the time that he wanted to be breast fed instead of having a latex nipple.

That only left one option she really didn't want to consider. "Oishi," she said quietly. "Can you pass me Akira's blanket?"

When it was given to her, she disappeared behind a tree to do some quick work on feeding Akira. Once she had him situation, she settled the blanket over her shoulder, making sure that it covered what she was doing.

It was strange for her to do this in a public setting. She didn't want to do this, but obviously, didn't have a choice in what to do. A happy baby meant a quiet baby.

Tezuka finished his match and turned to where he had left Oishi. Instead of his friend holding the baby, he saw his wife instead, cheeks blazing red with a blanket thrown strategically over the baby and her shoulder. He calmly packed his racquet back up and moved to her side.

"I'm sorry. I lost track of time," he said.

"It's okay," she said quickly. "You were playing tennis. I understand how it is for you. Besides he's happy right now so there's nothing to be sorry about."

Tezuka nodded once. Tezuka turned back once. Everyone was so occupied with the games that no one had noticed his interplay with his wife. With a firmer nod he led Sakuno back toward home.


	9. Chapter 8

Okay, I feel better now that I'm a little more ahead. So here is chapter 8. I'll probably put up chapter 9 today too, which will explain some of Tomoka's behavior. Believe me, there was a reason she's so out of character.

Chapter 8

Sakuno combed out her wet hair as she sat cross legged on the bed, staring at Tezuka's bare back as he finished some of his homework. She set the brush aside on the nightstand for the moment as she continued to stare at Tezuka.

She bet he didn't notice her. He probably didn't even see that her pajamas were a lot less what a little kid would wear. She no longer kept herself covered up completely, nor did she feel the need to be embarrassed about it.

She felt empowered, bold enough to try to get her husband's attention if she dared. Tonight, probably wouldn't be a good idea as the prefectural tournament was coming up and Tezuka needed his rest.

She sighed as she slid beneath the covers of the bed and pulled out a book she had been interested in reading for a while. She was such a coward and couldn't help it. She didn't think that she could handle his rejection.

Since Tezuka had been taking a few days out of his schedule to take her out to the courts, she thought their relationship was improving, improving slowly, but there was some overall improvement. They seemed to talk a little more now, although most of it was about tennis techniques.

Her eyes turned to the book. There was so much about tennis that she didn't know, even as the granddaughter of Ryuzaki Sumire. She wasn't sure if she was going to be able to play very well or not.

But, as long as it allowed Tezuka to want to spend time with her she didn't mind being embarrassed about her playing skills.

The bed beside her dipped as Tezuka's weight was added to the mattress. She turned slightly to see him, shift onto his side, giving evidence that he wanted to sleep without complications.

She nibbled at her bottom lip in contemplation. In a hentai movie, the wife would always try to convince her husband that they should sleep together. Then again, she was sure that Tezuka really was tired and needed his rest.

Plus, he'd probably get mad if she kept bothering him when he had a match to play tomorrow.

With a sigh, she set the book off to the side and switched off the light. She could wait. It wasn't as if they had slept together very often anyway before she got pregnant. So waiting a bit longer shouldn't be a problem for her.

It was just…seeing him in a different light that got to her. She curled up against his back, determined to have some sort of contact with him. He didn't complain, which was at least a sign he was allowing the contact.

She closed her eyes, falling into a light doze where she'd be able to hear her son when he awoke for his midnight feeding.

As her eyes closed, Tezuka's opened. While not unpleasant, he was confused by this sudden need she had to touch him. She now always curled up to him at night. He could almost always feel the intensity of her eyes upon him whenever they were in close proximity and she'd taken to always wanting to wash his back when he took a shower in the mornings.

He thought she was completely into Echizen. In fact, she had always so obviously been interested in the boy that no other man existed. So he wasn't sure if he understood what it was she was up to.

His eyes shut as he felt the beginnings of a headache. Personally, he was tired of always having to think about his situation with Sakuno. He wouldn't say that they had a serious marriage, considering the only thing they had in common was Akira. But, for some reason, it seemed as if Sakuno was trying to make it work with him.

Usually, it wouldn't be such a hard task to at least try and meet her half way. He could do it, he just wasn't sure if he wanted to.

His eyes shifted toward the clock, barely making out the red numbers. Soon, Akira would wake and need to be fed. He might as well stay awake until after the baby was quieted.

* * *

"See, Akira-chan. Daddy is going to play tennis today," Sakuno said after she dressed her son in his own version of the regular's uniform. Akira waved his fists in the air as he wiggled excitedly, not understanding what was being said, but recognizing his mother's voice.

Sakuno turned to where Tezuka was finishing putting their things together so that they could head out for the tournament courts.

She finished checking over Akira. "Should we take the stroller or use the carrier?" she asked.

"Use the stroller so you aren't carrying him all day." That meant they were going to walk to the matches instead of riding the bus. She nodded, picking the baby up to head downstairs.

Since her grandmother had already headed out early, they locked the house behind them.

As they walked, Sakuno allowed her mind to contemplate the up coming matches. In previous years, she'd been excited to see just how much Ryoma-kun had improved. This time it would be a first to support a different player on the team.

"Do you think we'll win?" she asked.

"If we don't get careless."

Sakuno smiled, having expected such an answer out of the captain. He was just that sort of person. "You're right. Everything should be fine as long as no one gets careless."

The walk grew peaceful after that, both simply content to fall into their own thoughts. Occasionally a passing woman would stop to admire Akira, but all in all, they arrived at the courts first without much trouble.

Tezuka helped her carry the stroller up the stairs as they both listened to the gurgling of their son. They were helped by Oishi as he arrived when they reached the half way point.

"Here, let me get that," he said, slightly pushing Sakuno to the side as he slid into position to help.

"Thank you Oishi-senpai," she said. She rushed ahead, scouting for her grandmother's position under a pavilion. Sakuno waved when her grandmother's eyes turned in her direction.

It was just getting so exciting, watching all the other teams gathering together to register for the tournament. Expectations were high and word of Tezuka's status as a teenage father had spread like wild fire after his visit to the street courts. Everyone wanted to know who the mother of his child was.

Sakuno felt nervous as they all stared at the stroller. Atobe, already knowing about, strolled up to the Seigaku captain as bold as could be to get a first look at the baby his rival had created.

"Well, at least he'd a good looking baby," Atobe said, leaning down to get a closer look. Akira reached up to grab the hair that was just out of his reach. Atobe chuckled, in spite of himself. "Get used to disappointment kid, because your daddy's going to lose, right Kabaji."

"Yes."

He glanced up at Tezuka, who said nothing. "I owe your kid a gift," he said as he turned to return to his team. When he caught sight of Sakuno he winked. "Give me a call when you get tired of him."

Sakuno admirably didn't blush. Once Atobe and his team were out of ear shot Oishi turned to his friend to say, "At least he didn't subject Akira-chan to his catch phrase."

Sakuno and Tezuka could only nod in agreement.

* * *

Echizen was late again. The whole team stood waiting for the arrival of the final member of the regular's team. They had exactly fifteen minutes until they would have to forfeit if he didn't arrive.

Sakuno sighed deeply, as she held her son in her arms, to quiet his cries. She couldn't believe that he would continue to do this to the team as if it were nothing, as if these games meant nothing.

As her agitation at Ryoma's thoughtlessness grew, Akira picked up on her distress and shared his own. It wasn't until he was pulled from her arms by his father that she finally realized what she had been doing.

She turned to find Tezuka, calmly rubbing Akira's back as the baby finally began to calm his cries into little whimpers. "Sorry," she said, dropping her eyes to the ground in guilt.

"He's fine," Tezuka said, turning back toward the team gathered. "I'll hold him until the matches begin. You go take a walk."

Sakuno knew a command when she heard one. She turned around, finding the route to the nearest bathroom. A break was just what she needed. Ryoma always showed up at the last moment on time. Why should this time be any different?

* * *

"Sakuno-chan," she heard the shout behind her. She turned to find Taichibana An running in her direction, waving to her.

Sakuno returned the wave, smiling brightly at the friend she hadn't seen since she'd learned she was pregnant. An was someone she could probably talk to when she had troubles. And boy did she have problems.

"Hey An-chan. It's been a while."

"What happened to you? That friend of yours said something about you having a baby. Did you and Ryoma-kun get into some trouble? I'm surprised you're grandmother didn't kill you."

Sakuno smiled weakly. "It wasn't Ryoma," she said quietly.

"What?" An said, "I was sure that it had to be Ryoma-kun. Who else were you interested in?"

Sakuno sighed. "It wasn't planned. But everything's okay. It's not a problem anymore you know?"

Sakuno wasn't surprised that Tomoka was spreading word around the other schools of Sakuno's baby. Most were intrigued, some come to the conclusion that she must be the elusive mother of Tezuka's child.

Many had stared openly at her, a lot of the females with a large amount of jealousy and hostility. Even stranger was the looks she received from some of the males, as if they too wished to sample her like some whore to be passed around. Those that didn't connect her with Tezuka simply thought her loose.

It seemed no one had yet noticed her wedding ring that she didn't bother to hide at this point. Now she wished they would, just so they could leave her alone.

An's brows furrowed in confusion. Sakuno knew she wasn't truly giving her friend any true answers, but she was embarrassed to have to say in such a public place. She motioned for An to follow her back toward where Seigaku were waiting.

She figured it would probably make more sense if An just saw who the father of her son was.

When she drew close, Tezuka was missing with Akira, but Ryoma had arrived. She figured her husband must have gone to turn in the forms needed to register them all. A glance at her watch told her, that they might have just made it on time not to default.

"Where's the baby?" An said looking all around the stroller.

Sakuno turned toward where she assumed the registration booth was just as Tezuka was returning to the group. Akira hung face down across his father's forearm, sticking his fists into his mouth as he laughed in the position his father seemed to favor carrying him.

"There he is," Sakuno said pointing toward the two heading their way.

An's jaw dropped as she saw who carried the baby. "That's the father of your son? The captain of the team?"

"You mean, you didn't know?" Momoshiro said, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. The others all nodded too as An looked around the group surrounding her. "You're really serious?" she said to Sakuno.

When everyone nodded, An looked back at the baby. Looking between the baby and his father, she could definitely see the similarities between the two. She just couldn't seem to wrap her mind around the idea that Sakuno gave herself to someone who was not Echizen Ryoma.

It was then she caught sight of a ring flashing on Tezuka's finger. She spun sharply to witness the same ring on Sakuno's finger as well. They were married too? It just got stranger and stranger.

An pulled Sakuno away to find a private place where they could have a good talk. She wanted to know everything and she wanted to know it now. Sakuno pulled back for a moment, forcing An to stop.

"Let me take him," Sakuno said to Tezuka, holding her hands out to take the baby. Tezuka handed Akira over without much of an argument. Now that his mother was calm, there was no need to feel agitated.

He gurgled in happiness as he finally got to see the rest of the world. An brought her face closer, finding it difficult not to coo at the baby when he was just so cute. "Come on Sakuno," she said finally heading toward a spot where they could have a quiet conversation. "You are going to tell me everything."

As Sakuno talked she realized that when An said everything, she truly meant everything. She wanted the juicy details of every single time Sakuno gave herself to Tezuka before the baby came.

"It was really nice," Sakuno said, not sure what all she could say. Without having experienced previous partners she wasn't sure how her experience ranked in comparison to others.

"Nice, just nice," An said, lifting an eyebrow in question. "Didn't he make you so hot that you couldn't bear not to be touched by him? Didn't you just feel like losing your mind when he did touch you?"

Sakuno couldn't hide her heavy blush. Of course she had felt all of that, and more. It was why she found herself desiring her husband currently. Her body craved his attention, knowing what it was he could do to her.

An laughed. "I knew it. It was more than just nice for you." Sakuno finally nodded to just get her friend to leave her alone. It was just so embarrassing to talk about in a public setting. Oh who was she kidding, it was embarrassing to talk about even in private.

Getting the picture that the conversation made her friend a little uncomfortable, An turned the conversation to what she knew Sakuno couldn't refuse, Akira.

She asked question after question about the baby, wanting to know all his habits and everything. Sakuno had no trouble telling some of the cuter stories having to do with her son. She was proud, no matter how supposedly shameful her giving birth at her age, to have a baby like Akira.

He was such a good baby, easy going and so precious. Being with Akira made her life seem so worth the trouble she had gone through with the pregnancy, because he was there and she loved him.

"I didn't think motherhood was going to be like this," Sakuno said softly. "I expected some changes, but I didn't think that I'd grow up this much or that I'd want to. It doesn't make any kind of sense to feel this way."

An leaned back on her hands, lounging comfortably with a bright smile on her face. It was just too incredible, but in a good way.

"I've heard that happens. It makes you think of another's needs. My mother always said that I wouldn't understand the power of being a parent without actually being one."

Her eyes were drawn to the baby busy looking around at his surroundings. She couldn't help the smile on her face. "Oh, this one is just so cute. How are you going to deal with motherhood as he grows older?"

The female voice over the loudspeaker announced the start of matches for Seigaku's match, interrupting any reply that Sakuno might have made. Sakuno stood as fast as she could while holding a baby.

She had to get to the matches. She and Akira had to do their job as cheerleaders for their team. "You're going to be here all day right?" Sakuno asked her friend. She could really use someone to play interference between her and Tomoka.

An jumped up too, "Of course I am. My brother wanted me to find out the truth about the rumor of Tezuka being a father. For some reason he didn't actually believe what his teammates told him. I didn't want to believe it either, since it seemed too incredible. Boy when he finds out the truth he's really not going to believe it."

At Sakuno's tilted head, An stopped cut off her monologue. She flushed slightly. "Sorry. I'm babbling I know, but trying to take all of this in is almost too much to handle."

An ran off before she could say anything more. Sakuno watched her go, a bemused expression on her face.

Once out of sight, Sakuno turned toward where she hoped the tennis courts her team played were located. She did have a job to do.


	10. Chapter 9

I know I promised this a while ago, but I got caught up and I forgot about it. Sorry about that, it wasn't my intention at all. Thank all of you who have been reviewing, I feel like I don't say it enough, but I do appreciate it. We're now going to start to get into Tomoka's problems because it's not that I dislike her or anything, but it had to be part of the plot.

Disclaimer won't change, but I'm still too broke to own anything other than my debt and my car.

Chapter 9

The rain wasn't supposed to happen until the evening according to the weather man. Unfortunately, Mother Nature hadn't listened and it rained after the second double's match. The golden pair was forced to await the announcement of whether or not the matches would be continued.

Tezuka held Akira under the awning where the team had been sitting. The stroller sat in the corner where most of the racquet bags were set. Sakuno had run off somewhere with Taichibana's sister to keep dry.

"This sucks," Momo said, talking about the rain. He was scheduled to play at Singles 3. "If it keeps raining, we'll never get to play today." Beside him, Ryoma lowered the hat over his eyes.

The rain continued to fall without fail. The more time that passed, the more they grew worried about the matches. They wanted to play and they wanted to play now.

* * *

"Do you think I should take Akira home?" Sakuno asked. The rain had let up some, but it was still pouring enough that she was getting a bit worried about keeping the baby outside.

From his seat Tezuka glanced down at the baby sleeping in his arms. "He's no problem and the rain isn't getting to him either." With the blanket over him, Tezuka knew he was warm enough.

Sakuno allowed him to make the decision. She supposed that as long as Akira stayed warm he wouldn't sick, right?

The rain finally stopped and the courts were dry enough to play about an hour later. Sakuno was glad she stuck around at that point to see the golden pair at their best against Fudomine's Ibu-Ishida pair.

Eiji's acrobatic moves had only improved over the years, to the point where the double's team had grown even more powerful and so had their friendship.

From her spot on the sidelines, Sakuno worked to keep the video camera steady with every win they took. At her side An held a wide awake Akira, making sure he got a chance to see the matches that were going on.

Akira was silent, his eyes moving across the court as if he completely understood what it was he saw. An looked down for a moment, noticing how quiet and still the baby seemed and thinking he was perhaps sleeping. What she found made her smile.

"Hey Sakuno, I think you might have the next generation of tennis players right here."

Sakuno steadied the camera so that she could look. Sure enough, there was her baby watching the matches. He gave a little wiggle in An's arms. "I think he likes the way that Eiji-senpai plays."

The match finished with Oishi and Eiji as the winners. During the short break, Sakuno took Akira for a diaper change and to get something to drink. With two wins under their belts, Sakuno felt safe enough to delay her return to the courts Seigaku played matches on.

She passed the other freshmen who were forced to video tape matches of the other teams, sending a brief wave their way.

By the time she returned to complete her own job, An had already taken over for her, allowing her to spend time taking care of her son and watching the matches. Momoshiro's match had only begun to play, so she was relatively on time.

Off to the side, she saw Tomoka flirting with Ryoma, not that he was paying much attention to her. Sakuno sighed, feeling a bit nostalgic and more than a bit jealous.

Akira shifted against her chest. She turned away from the scene, for a moment forgetting that she wasn't a free woman anymore. She was married and ergo not supposed to look at Ryoma-kun in that way anymore. She had Tezuka, for all that did for her.

* * *

Tezuka turned around in his seat, catching sight of Sakuno turning away from the direction Echizen and that girl were. When her eyes caught his, her smile was a bit strained.

He turned back around to continue watching his team play. He wasn't a fool if he didn't realize what the problem was. Sakuno was still in love with Echizen. It was okay, as he'd known of her feelings from the very beginning; it would just be a problem if other people began to notice where her feelings lay.

He crossed his legs carefully, also crossing his arms over his chest. It shouldn't have been his concern. He should be concentrating on leading his team to another victory, not worrying about what his wife was feeling.

He returned his attention to the match just in time to see Momoshiro win the match, giving Seigaku the tournament win. He heard as their supporters cheered the outcome of the match.

Fuji should have been returning soon to begin his own singles two match. Unfortunately, Ryuzaki-sensei thought it would be best if Echizen played the last match, just to give Tezuka a bit of freedom to help cater to Akira's needs.

He heard his son's voice draw closer. He turned slightly, finding his wife right behind him. He said nothing, waiting for her to say something first.

Sakuno nibbled at her bottom lip, not sure if there were something she should say. She knew, she'd probably gotten caught looking at Ryoma-kun. Would he be angry at her, for forgetting that she was married? Did he think she would be unfaithful?

For the rest of the game she stood behind her husband and after the finish where they received their awards, she went to the restaurant where the whole team shared a celebration dinner.

After the dinner came the part she dreaded, going home. The silence was beginning to really bother her. How could they discuss the problems when there was no talking?

* * *

"I'm sorry," she finally said later when they were alone in the bedroom. Her grandmother was good enough to spend some time with Akira before it was his bed time, so she knew she had some time to spare.

Tezuka continued changing into another set of clothing for a session of training. Sakuno sighed, her head bowing in sadness. She messed up badly and she knew it.

Finally, when he was completely dressed he turned toward her. "There is nothing to apologize about. I knew your feelings for Echizen." He was so nonchalant about it that she found her felt even worse for having looked at another.

She wanted to say something, something that could perhaps help this awkwardness between them, but she had nothing that she could voice. It wasn't very fair to him as her husband to play second place.

Without thinking about it, she stepped closer to him, wrapping her arms around him. She felt his body stiffen, but found she didn't care all that much. Just this once, she wanted to be able to be a little bold. "I mean it," she whispered, almost too low for him to hear. "It's not fair to you that I look upon any other. It makes me a horrible wife."

He sighed, finally wrapping his arms around her as well. "You don't have to be the perfect wife. This marriage isn't based on true emotion. You shouldn't feel bad at all."

Sakuno shook her head to deny his words. Yes, they hadn't married for love, but that didn't mean that she should behave with anything other than respect for her husband. She took his face between her hands, forcing him to lean down toward her.

The slight narrowing of his eyes should have been a warning to her to stop what she was about to do, but she couldn't. She didn't want to have to stop this.

Slowly, she lifted her face to his where she hesitantly pressed her lips to his. They were just as firm as she remembered, almost unyielding beneath the gentle press of her lips. She remained steadfast in her desire to make up her error to her husband.

Ever so slowly, his muscles began to relax. His lips softened, moving slightly to take over. Sakuno allowed herself to relax as well, leaning further against his body. It had been so long since they had kissed. He tasted sweet, so sweet and oh so manly.

Then he turned his face away, causing her lips to brush against his cheek. "We shouldn't," he said. She continued to lay kisses along his jaw line. She didn't care about what they shouldn't do.

He moved his hand to grasp her chin. "We aren't there yet," he said. He then left her there to complete his own workout for the night. For a moment Sakuno felt too shocked to move.

But then, a slight smile touched her face when she thought about what he had said and his actions. He'd kissed her back when he'd never really participated in a kiss before. So maybe, there was still hope for her.

* * *

Sakuno watched the television in the living room with Akira while she waited for Tezuka to return from his workout. Her grandmother had gone back to her room to have a private conversation with one of the coaches from a rival team.

She glanced down at her son, who was busy on the floor playing in his activity gym her grandmother had bought. The hanging toys kept him occupied as he tried to reach for them.

She smiled. Babies had so much joy without the worry of anything except when they would receive their next meal. She on the other hand, had to deal with a frustrating husband and feelings for a guy who was not said husband. What she was supposed to do to fix her life she had no idea. She just wanted to fix it as soon as possible.

The front door opened, admitting the man she'd just been thinking about. She turned around in her seat, hoping that he would see her and would come and join her. They could have family time.

Hearing the sound of the television, Tezuka did enter the room. For a long moment, he watched his son become further fascinated by the toys above his head.

Sakuno tried not to look at him. She was nervous about his silence. She didn't look at him when he suddenly left the room. She sighed, feeling that she was never going to get closer to her husband.

She had just about given up when to her surprise Tezuka sat next to her on the couch. Slowly, she leaned back, allowing each muscle to relax slowly until she was fully rested against the back of the sofa.

She couldn't say what was on the television, but she knew for a fact that at this moment, now that Tezuka was literally putting in some effort for her, she didn't care. "Thank you," she whispered.

Tezuka's head tilted slightly so that she would know he heard her. He said nothing, but that was okay. She didn't really expect him to have so much to say to her. It was just nice to have him by her side.

Around bedtime, they took Akira upstairs to his nursery, deciding together that since he was a little older, it wasn't such a bad idea to allow him to get used to his room. With the baby monitor, she knew they'd be able to awaken when needed.

Tezuka readied himself for bed while he waited for Sakuno to finish changing the baby before she went to put him in his bed.

When fifteen minutes had passed and Sakuno hadn't returned, he returned down the stairs to clean up the few toys that Sakuno had used with Akira. It wasn't much more than the gym and his favorite rattle, but he felt bad leaving a mess behind.

By the time he'd returned to his bedroom, Sakuno had returned and had slipped under the covers of the bed. Tezuka didn't pause as he too moved to his place. He set his glasses in their accustomed place before sliding under the covers.

He turned off the lamp by his bedside before rolling to his side, for once facing Sakuno. He closed his eyes. Sakuno watched him sleep for a while, tracing his features with her eyes.

He was good looking in his own way, especially when he was sleepy. There was, of course, still that slight frown he never seemed to get rid of, but it had its own appeal.

She scooted closer to him, just as she did on most nights lately. Reaching to where she was just able to barely touch him, she closed her eyes. This was even nicer than when she just curled against his back.

* * *

Ryoma watched Sakuno leave with the tennis captain. He still couldn't understand what had happened. Sakuno was in love with him, he knew this as he knew that there was no room for anything in his life other than tennis.

Just watching her stand next to Tezuka-senpai sent him to frowning. It just seemed so wrong somehow. She didn't belong with the older captain. He was just wrong for her, just so totally wrong.

"Ryoma," the annoying voice of Tomoka entered his thinking. He felt her plastering herself against his body, rubbing in a way she thought would distract his attention.

"What do you want?" he said.

She smiled brightly. "Come to my house a little later? I thought we could perhaps watch a movie." Of course, Ryoma knew they never just watched a movie together. She always wanted more and this time he wasn't willing to go through it.

"I can't. I have something to do later," like figure out a way to get Sakuno back on his side. There was no way that she could be happy being with their captain.

"You know, Sakuno's never going to be with you," she said spitefully. "Tezuka's not going to let his little whore go."

He said nothing as he kept walking. He didn't have time to deal with her jealousy. And he certain couldn't be bothered to her lies. Sakuno was his once and she would be his again. He'd make sure of it.

* * *

Tomoka wasn't a fool. She'd seen the way that Ryoma had looked at that whore Sakuno and she didn't like it.

It wasn't like Tomoka was exactly surprised by Ryoma's attention to Sakuno. In a way even she had always thought they'd end up together. But she didn't want to think of that or she'd feel guilty for going after Ryoma in the first place.

Really, it wasn't until she saw Tezuka starting to hang around Sakuno a little more that she'd had a change of heart. How could anyone believe that Sakuno had only slept with Tezuka when she hadn't even paid him the slightest bit of attention in the first place? She was sure that Sakuno had been sleeping with Ryoma too and was just lying about it.

Now, people treated Sakuno as if nothing were out of place, as if she were supposed to be young with a child, just because she married one of the best tennis players ever produced in Japan.

She hated Sakuno for the attention she received. Every time Ryoma was with her she knew he thought about Sakuno. She could just feel it in her blood. Now there was Tezuka who had married the girl because he believed she gave birth to his child.

Tomoka felt tears begin to sting her eyes as she walked home alone. She did miss her friend and could admit that she might have behaved a little strongly, but Sakuno was the one who pushed her away first, who threw their friendship back in her face. Could she really be blamed for everything that she'd said? No, it was all Sakuno's fault.

Sakuno had been the one to keep secrets first. She'd been the one acting all weird. Tomoka tried to hold on to her anger, thinking herself justified. But the more she thought about things, the more she came to realize, that maybe, _she_ wasn't being a good friend.

Tomoka stopped in her tracks, the thought a scary one. Perhaps it was time that she tried talking to Sakuno, maybe make up and be friends again like they were supposed to, if they even could at this point.


	11. Chapter 10

I have a 15 - 20 page paper due soon, so of course, that's why I've been taking my time with the uploading. I'm amazed at alot of the reviews I've gotten, especially about Tomoka. I've noted a lot of the concerns and so forth and I've been working my way about resolving things in a way that'll fit my story. So sit back and relax, because we're about to go into the next instalment.

Disclaimer: I'll never have enough money to own Prince of Tennis

Chapter 10

Tezuka couldn't find it in him to pay attention in class. His wife Sakuno had been getting bolder since the birth of their son and he wasn't sure how to take it. Sure, in a way it was a good thing. It made her seem a little older than she was, which made him feel a little less like the pervert.

From her usual timid behavior he never would have thought that she'd dare to touch him so much, or even would want to without blushing. Of course, it could have had something to do with the hidden hentai films she kept stashed under the bed, the ones she thought he wouldn't find.

He probably wouldn't have known they were there if it weren't for one of his shoes being tossed under the bed by her side. He'd been surprised naturally, as he never would have thought her capable of owning such videos, let alone watching them.

A slight frown tugged at his lips. She was growing aware of her sexuality it seemed. He wasn't unaware of the slight sexual tension she emanated. She wanted him to take her again, to remind her body of what it felt like. Whatever had gotten into her was changing her.

Obviously she enjoyed those time they had spent in bed. He wasn't going to lie to himself and say that he didn't enjoy the few times they'd had sex. He just didn't know if he could keep on in the manner they had taken initially. He knew who she would have preferred in her bed. She had never been able to hide it.

She still mooned over the boy, although she had been much better at hiding her feelings from some of the others.

Her feelings for Echizen aside, he just wasn't sure he was comfortable enough with her. He certainly wasn't expecting to fall in love with her or anything so silly, but if they had sex now, it'd be different.

She was his wife and that would make it much more permanent than it already was. More would be expected between them. There would be the possibility that they would produce more children when one child was more than enough right now.

Beside him, Fuji tapped him. Tezuka turned his head slightly to see his friend giving him a questioning glance. He shook his head minutely, silently saying he didn't want to talk about it.

He turned his mind back toward the lesson he should have been paying attention to in the first place. He couldn't fall behind in his studies just because his wife suddenly turned into this enigma he had to figure out. 'Maybe it's time we actually talk about what we expect from one another.'

* * *

Books spread out across the dining room table as Sakuno worked diligently on homework that would be due soon. She'd been talking to her grandmother about maybe going back to the actual school instead of doing the home schooling now that Akira was born.

But she wasn't sure if that was the best option for her. She actually liked staying home with Akira and wanted to continue being home with her baby. It just made it slightly more difficult to have steady friends if she couldn't talk to them at school, but that was okay.

But then, there was Tezuka who would be graduating this year and most likely leaving Japan while she still had two more years left to go. Should she really be worrying about school right now?

Her eyes turned to glance out the window to the streets. If she were honest, she really didn't have very many friends anymore. Taichibana An was her friend, but they usually only saw each other at tennis functions.

She supposed she could call some of the other guys on the tennis team friends, but then she couldn't tell them much if she was feeling down and in the need to talk to someone.

She had Tezuka, who liked to listen, okay so maybe like was too strong a word. He did allow her to just talk, even if she had a feeling that he didn't pay attention to her.

A brief smile flitted across her face. She could get used to her growing relationship with her husband. She doubted it would ever be that really passionate love story like in all the romance novels and movies. She was almost positive that she'd never feel for him what she felt for Ryoma-kun.

Tezuka was no dashing prince come to sweep her off her feet. She'd probably have to be holding a tennis racquet to get the best reaction out of him…okay so it went that way for Ryoma-kun too.

Maybe she was just fooling herself all this time. Ryoma-kun never treated her as if he particularly liked her. Sure, they hung out on occasion, but it always involved tennis. At least Tezuka took her places without tennis being involved.

And Tezuka had been really good about the whole situation when he could have reacted irresponsibly. She would never deny that he was good to her when all things were said and done.

A small gurgle from her right drew her attention. Her smile increased as she watched Akira reach for the toy hanging over his head while it rotated. She turned all the way in her seat, forgetting her work for a moment.

No, it was highly doubtful that she would return to high school anytime soon. Once again being honest with herself all her plans depended on what her husband was going to do. She was positive that they wouldn't live in Japan after he graduated, not when he would be perusing his tennis career.

She reached over carefully, flipping the switch that began to play the soothing music supposedly guaranteed to increase her son's intelligence. She wasn't so sure if it was working or not, but he seemed to enjoy the music so she didn't mind it.

She watched him for a few more moments before she returned to the work that needed to be done if she ever wanted to pass into the next grade. Not too much later she gave up on that, instead she pulled out a blank sheet of paper.

With all the confusion in her mind she had to know, which one was better, Ryoma-kun…or Tezuka?

A glance at the clock had her rushing to get everything done before she had to leave for the afternoon practice. She had a lot to do.

* * *

Sakuno decided against taking the bus to the school. She felt she lived close enough to be able to walk. Besides it was a nice day to walk. The sun was shining brightly. There were no clouds in the sky; wind was kept to a minimum.

Even better in her opinion was to arrive to the school only to find out that there would be no Tomoka around to harass her for no reason. "This day is just getting better and better," Sakuno said to Akira.

She wasn't surprised when her son didn't respond in words that she could understand. For a moment she felt bad for thinking such a way of a friend, but then she thought about it.

Tomoka had been acting very strangely, saying such harmful words when Sakuno had done nothing to warrant such behavior. She didn't understand it all. Nothing in their friendship had changed until Sakuno went out on the date with Tezuka-san.

"Yo, Sakuno," she heard her name yelled across the school grounds. She glanced up to see Ryoma-kun strolling her way. Sakuno glanced around quickly, looking for an escape. There was no way she was about to face her long time crush, not when she was no longer free to pursue him.

She managed to find a savior in Fuji, who just so happened to be walking by. She quickly engaged the older boy in conversation as they headed for the tennis courts. From the corner of her eye she saw Ryoma's frown, but couldn't bring herself to feel guilty.

Her husband deserved her faithfulness, especially at a near critical point in their relationship. She didn't relax until she was at her husband's side.

* * *

Tezuka said nothing as he watched his wife approach, purposely not looking at Echizen. He bent over to peer into the stroller.

"I tried to get here a little early," she said quietly.

He stood straight, looking her in the eye for the first time that either of them could remember. "We need to talk later." The worried look on her face forced him to extend his wording. "It's nothing terrible." He watched her sigh in relief.

The longer he looked at her, he found the deeper her blush went. Her eyes drew away from his as she nibbled on her lower lip.

Without another word he turned away from her, getting the practice started. Now that she knew they were to talk, he was hoping to get it all over with so that he could finally relax.

* * *

Sakuno didn't know what to think when Tezuka-san said that they needed to talk. She had a feeling that it was about their relationship, but she couldn't be sure, not with his often complex thinking.

Sure, they needed to know what the other wanted, but she was concerned at the same time. What if their wants were so completely different? What if, what he desired from her conflicted with what she desired from him?

Then there was avoiding Ryoma-kun, who was always watching her now. What did he want when it was clear he had Tomoka to keep him company?

She was glad when practice was over and she was able to pack up to get ready to go home. Momochan-senpai had dragged Ryoma-kun off to get food, which got him away from Sakuno.

She sighed in relief, grateful for whatever small reprieve she received. She waited by the courts for Tezuka to join them. It didn't take too long for him to change out of his regular's jersey, for which she sent him a smile.

Before they left Tezuka collected his son from the stroller, wanting to carry him home. Sakuno trailed along beside him, not saying a word. Occasionally she glanced at his profile, wondering what thoughts were going through his mind. She could never know, not with him anyway.

"Things are becoming a bit strange," Tezuka said suddenly. "I think it's time we actually discuss what is expected to come from this marriage."

Sakuno paused her walking, not sure what to make of it. Her mind brought images of them entangled in bed together, shifting and moving to a rhythm all their own. She nibbled at her lower lip as she savored some of the images before turning her attention back to her husband.

"What do you mean?" she asked carefully.

He turned fully to her, his mouth turned in his near perpetual frown. "I mean, from your recent behavior you expect something more from me. You stare at me when you think I don't notice. You insist on washing my back in the mornings, using it as an excuse to touch me."

He stopped himself from mentioning the DVDs she hid under her bed, not wanting to fully embarrass her.

Sakuno's mouth opened and closed a few times before she shut it tightly. She began walking faster, pushing the stroller as she fought to suppress her heavy blush. She knew she hadn't exactly been subtle in her need for attention, but she hadn't thought that he'd want to talk about it.

Behind her, she knew her husband continued walking, bringing their son along. She didn't know what to say other than she was feeling the need more and more to touch him. They were married and so technically belonged to one another.

She wanted, "intimacy," she said quietly. She wanted to know that he desired her too, that he felt the same physical need that she felt.

She knew that Tezuka heard her spoken word, and she was sure that he knew what she meant. It was up to him now to decide what would happen, now that she had laid her needs on the line.

There was nothing but silence until they reached the house. Sakuno's grandmother had gone to have dinner with an old friend and so wouldn't be back until late, giving the two time to work out their problems.

Sakuno made dinner while Tezuka spent time with their son. Other than Akira's attempts at speaking, it was all relatively quiet between the married couple. Sakuno still wasn't sure if he were ever going to respond to her desire. She hoped that he would, that he could quench her needs.

They watched a few programs on the television before putting Akira to bed in his nursery. It was while they were alone that Tezuka finally managed to speak to her. "As long as you don't get pregnant again, I suppose we can sometimes indulge in sexual activity."

He supposed it would have to happen eventually. He wasn't fool enough to not realize that Echizen was likely to tempt her to stray. He was more than positive that those videos she viewed were warping her morals, what with the similar theme they all shared.

Sakuno felt the grin begin to creep onto her face. He said yes. He actually agreed that they could finally behave as a real husband and wife.

She was so happy she couldn't control the urge to jump into his arms for a hug. She didn't feel the way that he stiffened at her touch, but soon relaxed by slow degrees. "I'm not saying we should begin tonight," he told her, "But I'm not saying that I'll always be against it."

Sakuno nodded against his neck. She would be able to hold out a little longer as long as he wasn't going to always push her away.

* * *

Holding out didn't mean that she didn't want it. She wanted so bad to just take his clothes off, ripping them if she had to, just to see him naked. Then she'd drag her tongue along every inch of his body until she had him begging to take her.

Oh, it would be so good to be able to feel him fill her to bursting, just to have him touch her. Hell, she knew at this level of arousal she could probably make herself come just by touching him.

She tried to ignore the way that his body glistened with water droplets as he returned to the bedroom wrapped only in a damp towel to retrieve a forgotten item. His muscles were just so hard from his working out, stretching his skin tightly over the mass.

She was sure he couldn't see very much since he wasn't wearing his glasses, and so allowed her eyes to wander his body unimpeded. She was so wet she soaked right through her panties.

"What are you looking for?" she asked, her voice husky from trying to hide her desire. She watched his eyes squint in her direction.

"I thought I had my pajamas when I went for my shower. I don't know what happened to them."

Sakuno fingers twitched guiltily behind her back where she hid said item. "Why don't I look for it while you finish taking your shower," she said softly. She sighed with relief once he left the room.

Sure, she didn't need an actual reason to join him in the bathroom, but she had some real planning to do if she was going to get him into bed.

Tezuka just knew that his wife was up to something. It was a feeling in the back of his mind, a sense that told him he had to be on his guard.

The shower door opening didn't surprise him like in the beginning. "Sakuno," he said on a sigh. "I'm not in the mood right now."

When she didn't answer he grew a little concerned. Then there was a loud wailing sound. He peered in the direction of the open door, finding the slightly hazy figure of his wife standing there, fully clothed and holding his son.

"What's wrong?" he asked, growing alarmed.

"I don't know," Sakuno said. "But I think we'd better take him to the doctor." He jumped out of the shower, drying and dressing as quickly as possible while Sakuno rocked Akira trying to calm him.

Together they rushed to the nearest hospital, both silently praying that there was nothing wrong with their son.

Oh man, they were close. I debated whether or not she should jump him, but it still wasn't the right time I guess. Maybe next time Sakuno


	12. Chapter 11

I was going to make you all wait, but then I thought, since I have a lot of work left to do, that I should give you guys a nice treat that should hold you over until I have a little more free time on my hands. Warning: Lemons are quite sour yet refreshing. Taste at your own risk.

Disclaimer: See previous chapter

Chapter 11

Sakuno rested Akira calmly in his crib. It had been an extremely long night spent at the hospital and they were all exhausted. After enduring test after test on their infant both parents had been relieved to know that Akira's sudden fever wasn't serious.

Neither had known that the bouts of irritability in their son had been caused by an ear infection and crying was the only way he could tell them of his pain. The ear drops had been enough to help him get some sleep.

Her husband leaned in the doorway of the nursery, watching as she carefully handled their son. Neither said a word until they returned to their bedroom. "Do you think you'll be able to make it to school today?" she asked.

He glanced at the clock, noting that he would have to get ready for school very soon should he decide to go. The way his body felt, he doubted he was going anywhere any time soon.

He shook his head. He left the room for a moment to inform Sakuno's grandmother of the situation, glad when she decided to cover for him in school. When he returned to the bedroom they collapsed on the bed together, both falling asleep almost instantly.

* * *

Tezuka unfortunately, wasn't able to attend the team practice because of his absence from school, but the moment he awoke for the day, he had decided he'd strike out on his own to do some training.

First order of business was a brisk jog to keep his endurance up. As long as Sakuno could handle the baby he made use of the time to simply contemplate important matters, like the upcoming tournament and his everyday improvement.

Time was no concept to him while training. He planned to try to get back to the house for lunch with Sakuno and the baby, but she'd already said that it would be okay if he didn't make it.

Still, closer to lunch time, he began to make his way toward the house. If they were going to have a relationship then he would have to make sure he put in the effort to make it work.

Reaching the house he stepped inside to find that Sakuno was already providing lunch for Akira, which he greedily guzzled.

Tezuka noticed the plate waiting for him. She had done an excellent job adhering to the regulations set by Inui to enhance his training regime. He dug into the meal, eating just as politely as always.

He felt Sakuno watching him again, but said nothing of it.

* * *

Sakuno was glad that he returned for lunch. For a moment she hadn't been sure that he'd be able to afford taking a break from his working out to come eat.

She had a plan in mind that she wanted to try later after she put Akira down for a nap, a plan that would hopefully lead to something much more delightful. She finished feeding her son, ignoring his little fussiness to burp him properly.

By her calculation she had maybe fifteen more minutes before it was time to put him down. It was more than enough time to suggest that her husband take a shower so she could launch her plan.

Tezuka immediately headed for the shower after setting his plate in the sink. Once she thought she'd given him enough time she went up to the nursery and settled Akira, who soon fixed his attention on his mobile.

Once assured he wouldn't begin fussing, she left the room, noting that the shower was still running as she passed the bathroom. Safely inside her sanctuary, she removed her clothing, leaving only her underwear.

She fought not to look at the mirror on the back of the door. What she was about to do was so incredibly chancy, but she wasn't going to chicken out by looking at her body.

She nibbled at her lower lip as she contemplated the best way to go about her seduction. Lying on the bed would be too... oh she didn't know what it was going to be, but she wanted to be close to a place that she could hide safely should her courage leave her.

'Should I at least take off the bra?' she questioned herself silently. Then all she'd have to worry about was her panties when the time hopefully came. She decided to just take the plunge and get it over with.

She quickly undid the hooks of her bra, allowing it to fall away from her before she put even more thought into her actions. Whatever happened, she was going to have to deal with it.

* * *

The door to the bedroom creaked as it began to open under the power of her husband. Sakuno rushed to hide behind it, praying hat she was not about to embarrass herself.

Tezuka entered the bedroom, not bothering to glance around as he moved. Sakuno took a deep breath to gain the confidence she would need to tempt her husband. Then, just as he reached down to grab the first item to change into, Sakuno stepped behind him.

He stiffened as he straightened. "What are you doing Sakuno?" He could feel the press of her naked breasts against his back. Her arms wrapped around his waist, stroking along his strong stomach.

She admired the way that the muscles clenched and unclenched under her hands. "I want you," she whispered. She grazed her lips across his skin, taking her time to fully taste him. She hoped that he didn't' deny her this, not when he'd promised that they'd try.

Tezuka's towel dropped to the floor with barely a flick of her wrist. Now free to touch him as she pleased, Sakuno allowed her hands to wander where they may.

He didn't fight her when she motioned for him to sit on the edge of the bed, nor when she spread his thighs to kneel on the floor between them. His cock, semi erect in spite of what he wanted to feel, attracted her attention.

Sakuno glanced up into the eyes staring back at her. "Sakuno," he tried to say. She didn't allow him time to try to stop him. If he managed to speak, she knew that he would stop her.

So instead of allowing him time to speak, she leaned forward, teasing him with her tongue. The sharp intake of breath encouraged her to further her exploration.

Slowly, she took the very tip of him into her mouth, enjoying the way he began to grow in her mouth. He was just as long and thick as she remembered, making it very difficult to take him too far into her mouth.

Above her, Tezuka fought for control of his body. He knew he should stop her, or at least, he figured that he should stop her. But the very warmth surrounding him felt too good.

It wasn't until she began to suck in earnest that he fully gave up any thought of making her stop. He leaned back, allowing his head to fall back. A groan worked its way up through his throat.

Sakuno was just in heaven. This was something that had been inside her. It had given her pleasure, such pleasure that she wanted it again. Pre-come began to leak from the tip. She lapped it away, teasing around the slight indent as she searched for more of the salty sweet flavor.

She sucked hard, hollowing out her cheeks on a particularly strong pull. His hand grabbed a handful of her hair, tugging her away. Sakuno fought him, not wanting to stop. Tezuka finally got her mouth to release him.

His breath heaved in his chest. A fine sheen of sweat coated his skin. His eyes closed tightly as he fought to control his body. Sakuno had never seen him so gorgeous. She wiggled out of her panties as the fabric heightened her arousal until it was almost painful.

Slowly she pressed against his chest, pushing him backward to lie back on the bed. She crawled over him kissing every single inch of skin available. Her clit trailed across his cock, sending zinging pleasure throughout her body.

She tried to lower herself on him, but the angle was strange. No matter what she did, she couldn't seem to get it right.

She felt her skin begin to flush as embarrassment began to take hold of her. Nothing showed her inexperience better than this. She was just about to try one more time, when her husband bucked beneath her, rolling her over.

He slid inside of her easily, stretching the muscles that hadn't been used for a while. Sakuno cried out, shuddering as he thrust deep within her.

Her legs wrapped around his waist, opening herself to him further. Tezuka knew he was lost once her inner muscles wrapped tightly around him. Every time he tried to pull out, the muscles tightened to pull him back in.

He was close to orgasm, but he couldn't come without her. He shifted back into a kneeling position. Gripping her hips tightly, he began to thrust harder and faster, grinding into her as he bottomed out. Sakuno tried to hold back a scream of pleasure. His movements were such that he pressed against her clit.

It was good, better than she remembered. Her body couldn't take it anymore. She had to come. The spring coiled inside her stomach. One thrust, then two, and finally, it snapped throwing Sakuno into one of the best orgasms ever. Tezuka followed her, his seed spurting out to coat her womb.

Tezuka tried not to collapse on top of her, but he didn't have much energy to do much else. Sakuno didn't mind it as she wrapped her arms around his body, holding him to her.

"Tezuka…" she began once she caught her breath.

"You might as well call me Kunimitsu," he told her. He felt her smile against his neck.

They were interrupted by the sudden cries of Akira in the next room. They dressed as quickly as possible so that they could tend to their son.

* * *

Sakuno felt marvelous as she finished changing Akira's diaper. She closed her eyes, savoring the image of her husband on top of her, moving within her. Tezuka, or Kunimitsu rather, had finally made her feel like she truly was his wife. Her smile had her son smiling in return.

She discarded the soiled diaper before fixing her son's clothing. Oishi had called to get her husband to meet him and some of the others at the courts for an extra practice. Sakuno wanted to go and watch.

Then, because the Tezukas wanted to watch Akira again, they would drop off the baby with his grandparents for the night. Maybe she could have another night with her husband like in the afternoon. That would be nice.

"Sakuno," he called to her from the doorway to the nursery. Sakuno finished with Akira and lifted him into her arms, smiling as he squealed.

"Akira-chan and I are ready." Tezuka nodded as he disappeared back down the stairs. Sakuno hurried after him. He held the diaper bag over his shoulder along with his tennis bag.

They slid into their shoes and left the house, locking up behind them. Sakuno's cheeks remained flushed with color every time she glanced at her tall husband.

Even he looked more relaxed. That permanent frown wasn't so permanent, not that he smiled at all. She wasn't sure that the world was ready to see her husband with a smile on his face.

* * *

"I want to do a piece on your husband," Inoue-san told Sakuno as she relaxed with Akira watching the guys put in some extra work.

She turned to him, surprised that he would want to. She had thought that the Pro Tennis magazine was all about interviewing Ryoma-kun. Sure her husband had his share of fans, but she didn't think that he was that popular now with the "Prince of Tennis" to contend with.

"Well…" she said nervously, "I suppose he wouldn't mind." She really didn't know what he was going to think.

She watched as Inoue-san glanced in Tezuka's direction, a pensive frown on his face. "It's just that, its so amazing that he can strive for excellence still in tennis all while trying to balance being a husband, father, and a student. That takes amazing perseverance."

Yeah, she had to admit that it was pretty amazing that the pressure hadn't gotten to him. She had to quit school because she couldn't handle it.

Shiba-san broke in to say, "I even have a great idea for the photo. I think it would be so cute if he were holding his son."

It did sound cute, but Sakuno had a feeling that some wouldn't like that idea, thinking it would paint her husband as looking for sympathy. If there was one thing she knew about Tezuka Kunimitsu, it was that he was incredible proud and would refuse to allow anyone to pity him.

"Just be careful," Sakuno said, make sure that you pay more attention to his talent on the tennis courts rather than his home life. He deserves this article based solely on his merits and not out of pity."

Shiba-san squealed, thinking it so cute that Sakuno would go so far to protect her husband's future. Sakuno blushed, but she refused to back down from how she felt. To have gotten pregnant in the first place could have ruined his career. She refused to be the cause of him losing everything.

"Don't worry," Inoue-san assured her. "I only have his best interest at heart. When you look at the determination on his face, and you think of all that he has gone through over the years, I really think that he deserves this."

The person in question was headed their way, water bottle in hand as he sipped. Akira started to smile as he caught sight of his dad, leaning forward slightly to get into his father's arms.

Without a word, Tezuka took possession of him, holding him carefully while he handed the water to Sakuno.

"Tezuka-buchou," Inoue-san said, "I want to discuss a possibility of an interview with you, especially as it's your last season playing for the high school." For a moment, he seemed just as surprised as Sakuno had been.

"I suppose I can speak with you," Tezuka said finally after a glance in Sakuno's direction. She smiled encouragingly.

Inoue-san led Tezuka to a slightly more private setting, leaving Sakuno and Shiba-san to watch the others at practice. "So how goes married life?" Shiba asked her.

Sakuno blushed. "It's good I guess. It's different."

Shiba sighed. "It sucks when you think about it. You're younger than me and you're already married. How did life get so unfair?" Sakuno didn't try to answer the question.

Out of the corner of her eye, Sakuno saw Tomoka approaching. She almost cringed, knowing that there could be trouble. Tomoka stopped a short distance away watching Sakuno who finally turned toward her.

"We need to talk," Tomoka said. For the first time in a long while there was no condescending tone to her voice. Sakuno took a closer look at her former friend, noting how the girl looked sad.

"Okay," Sakuno said. "We can talk."

* * *

I'm used to lemons that are so heavy duty, but I figure, Tezuka'll get more passionate as time goes by. We are talking about someone who hides his feelings.


	13. Chapter 12

I'm sure you guys thought that I dropped off the face of the Earth, but I managed to turn in my final papers and thought I'd celebrate by putting in another chapter. I'm hoping you guys are still with me. The reviews have been very encouraging and they do keep me going with inspiration. Hope you guys do enjoy this.

Disclaimer: I still don't own Prince of Tennis. It'd be nice if I did because I probably would make weird couples. But that's me.

Chapter 12

"So what did you want to talk about?" Sakuno asked Tomoka as they too left the tennis courts to find a private place to speak. Tomoka wouldn't look at her.

"I just have one question for you and I want you to answer honestly. Did you sleep with Ryoma-sama?"

Sakuno stood there for a moment, not being able to react to the question. When Tomoka saw the surprise, she assumed that it must have been true. She was ready to lay into Sakuno for lying once again, but Sakuno began shaking her head.

"I have been with one man only and that is my husband. Why would you assume that I would?"

Tomoka didn't know what to believe. There was just too big a possibility for Sakuno to be lying to her. Sakuno had always wanted to be with Ryoma, they both knew it. So was she being honest?

"You've been chasing after him for so long that it's hard to believe that you don't want him all of a sudden."

Sakuno settled her hands on her hips growing angry. "I'm so sick of you accusing me of things. Whatever happened to the friend that used to support me, no matter how bad I messed up? Where did that friend go? Was it because I didn't tell you that I was pregnant? Well, newsflash, I didn't tell anyone.

"Whether you believe me or not, I've only had sex with my husband. My feelings for Ryoma-kun aside, I wouldn't have gone there because you were with him and that would have been wrong. Now I'm married so it doesn't matter anyway. As long as we've been friends I thought you would understand. But I guess that was too much to ask. I think I understand your problem now though. I just don't think you have any right."

Sakuno turned away, heading back toward the courts. She wanted to say that she didn't care that Tomoka was accusing her of being a bad friend. But she did care. She cared a lot. When had Tomoka suddenly developed this low opinion of her?

How could she be friends with someone who treated her the way that Tomo-chan did? When Sakuno had needed her friend, Tomoka hadn't been there like she would have thought. And now to hear these things finally come out. It was just so hard to deal with.

Tomoka felt the tears slide down her face hotly. She was confused, and unaware of what she should do. If what Sakuno said were true, then she really had messed up their friendship.

She watched Sakuno storm away, still unsure of what she should do.

Sakuno didn't know how she felt when it came to Tomoka. It just, seemed so stupid having to argue with someone who had been a friend for so long and all over some boy that Sakuno couldn't be with even if she wanted to.

She returned to watching the players practice. Her husband had yet to return from giving his interview with Inoue-san, but she figured that it probably wouldn't last much longer with practice taking place.

She turned to where he had last disappeared. There he was, just finishing his interview and heading her way. She smiled softly at the picture he made holding their son.

"I think he needs to be changed," Tezuka told her. He passed the baby over as he continued back to the courts to finish practice with the others. Sakuno hurried to go take care of her son's diaper, passing a distraught Tomoka on the way.

She was tempted to stop, to try and see if Tomoka was truly ready to try and work things out between them. She didn't want to have to keep fighting with her over this, not when they could just be friends.

Akira began to cry, reminding her of her duty to him. Sakuno moved along into the boy's locker room where she quickly changed the diaper.

On her way back to the courts she stopped this time. "Can we just forget about all this fighting," Sakuno paused. "I don't want to fight anymore, and I don't think you do either."

Tomoka wiped at her eyes, staring unabashedly at Sakuno's side profile. Akira's face came into view as he stared at her. For the first time Tomoka really looked at the baby, taking in all the features that spoke of his parentage.

He really was the son of the tennis captain. She could see that now. Tomoka nodded, conceding the fight to Sakuno as together they walked toward the courts.

"Your son is very cute," Tomoka said quietly to which Sakuno replied with a bright smile.

"Do you hear that pa pa? It's confirmed that you're a cutie." Both girls laughed, which caused Akira to laugh in reaction. The tense mood now broken, the girls were near able to put the past behind them and get on with cheering on the boys.

Sakuno allowed Tomoka to hold Akira for the rest of the practice, giving her a chance to really get to know her son. That it gave Sakuno a chance to watch her husband practice unhindered was an added bonus.

Tomoka continued watching Sakuno's behavior, noticing that more and more her attention was on the tennis captain. She didn't have that look of childish devotion like when she'd always watch Ryoma. No, her look was purely one that a woman would give the man that she truly loved, even if neither of them knew for sure.

She glanced down at the child she held, not sure how she could have ever thought he belonged to Ryoma.

"Baby Tezuka," Eiji called out, leaning against the fence to get a closer look at the baby. Akira leaned forward a bit, seeming to take an interest in the exuberant tennis player for the first time. Tomoka held him tighter to ensure that he didn't fall.

"Eiji-senpai, it's time for your match," Momochan-senpai called to him. With a great big sigh, Eiji returned to his side of the court where Oishi was waiting for him.

Sakuno had to chuckle when Akira grabbed hold of the fence instead of paying attention to where Eiji had gone. The rest of practice went smoothly from that point forward.

Sakuno allowed Eiji to hold the baby after practice while she gathered together her husband's things to be taken home. Inoue-san had asked for a little more time with the tennis captain to ask some questions, forcing Tezuka to leave her alone for a bit.

Tomoka had been forced to leave so that she could get dinner going for her younger siblings, so it wasn't as if Sakuno had her to talk to either.

"Hey," she heard called behind her. Sakuno felt her fingers shake to hear Ryoma-kun talking to her. She was surprised that he even had something to say to her when he'd never particularly been prone to talking to her in the first place.

She turned to him, making sure that she faced more toward where Eiji held her son. It kept their interactions friendly, but a little distant like they should be. "What do you need Ryoma-kun?"

His dark eyes stared at her, unnerving her greatly to be under such a stare. It wasn't like her husband's stare at all. Tezuka didn't look at her as if she were a possession of some sort.

"Can I talk to you in private for a moment?"

Sakuno released a shaky breath. There was absolutely no way that she was going to allow that to happen, not when she'd finally managed to get her husband into a physical relationship with her.

She knew what could happen and she refused to risk losing what ground she gained with her husband. She was going to be a good wife and not surround herself with temptation.

She shook her head, turning back to grab Tezuka's tennis bag to put over her shoulder. Bag in place, she also took hold of the diaper bag. "I don't have time," she said quietly, "we have to get Akira to Kunimitsu's parents' house since he's spending the night." It didn't escape her notice that Ryoma flinched to hear her call her husband by his first name.

With a smile, she moved to step by Ryoma-kun. Eiji had actually been able to make the baby laugh by tickling his sides. But it was possible that he was laughing because Fuji-senpai was also making faces at him.

Sakuno stood by the two of them as she waited for her husband, not giving Ryoma a chance to get her alone.

Tezuka finally managed to free himself fifteen minutes later so that could finally leave. Sakuno was a little quiet, debating whether or not she should inform her husband of what was going on with Ryoma-kun.

Only, she didn't know what was going on there. She wanted to say it was nothing, but she just kept getting this feeling that he wanted something from her. Tomoka said that she wasn't seeing Ryoma-kun anymore and had even warned Sakuno to be on her guard around him.

"Is there something wrong Sakuno?" Tezuka asked her.

Sakuno jumped a bit, jostling Akira who had been going to sleep in her arms. He whimpered slightly to have been bothered from his dreams. Sakuno resettled the baby, quieting him.

"I'm sorry," she said, "I just have a lot on my mind." He said nothing, perhaps allowing her to make her own determination to tell him. Finally she released her breath slowly. "It's just, Ryoma-kun's been acting strange. Tomo-chan told me that he's been watching me lately and that he doesn't really like that I'm with you."

She gave a small shrug then, not even knowing if what she said were even something worth worrying about to begin with, or at least, if it were worth bothering her husband about.

He said nothing as they approached his parents' house to drop off the baby. They didn't visit for very long, just enough not to seem rude, before they were both headed home to prepare for school the next day.

It was during that walk home that Tezuka finally said, "I understand that you love him and that there was something between the two of you since middle school."

Sakuno cautiously wrapped her arms about his right bicep, pulling herself closer to him. "That's just the thing. I can't be in love with him, can I? I mean, if I slept with you so easily and if I'm happy where I am, then how can I have been truly in love with Ryoma-kun?"

He had nothing to say to that, although he noticed that his chest felt a little lighter than a moment before. The rest of the walk to the house was done in comfortable silence. Sakuno was happy that she had an excuse to be so close to her husband and that he actually allowed it.

At the house she took her shower while he worked on some homework that desperately needed to get done or he'd be behind. Sakuno's grandmother had already gone to bed for the evening and was most likely so far into sleep she wouldn't notice anything for the rest of the night.

By the time Sakuno finished her shower, Tezuka had put a large enough dent in his work that he felt comfortable enough to take his own shower.

Sakuno threw on one of her newer nightgowns and slid under the covers of the bed. She'd been hoping that she would have some time to spend with her husband before bed, but it didn't look like it was going to happen with his homework.

Instead, she pulled out the book she'd been reading. Glancing up only once when Tezuka returned from his shower already dressed for bed. He settled back at the desk to finish up the rest of his homework quietly.

It was about eleven by the time he finished the last of his work. He slid into bed beside her, taking his glasses off before he lay down.

Sakuno rolled to her side, watching his movements. She remembered their afternoon and how if felt to have him touch her again, how it felt to touch him in a way other than simply platonic.

She wanted to touch him like that again, but it was too late. He had to get some sleep so he could be refreshed for his classes the next day, and more importantly, he had tennis practice that he had to focus on.

She reached over him to turn off the bedside lamp. He looked so peaceful with the light of the moon as the only light in the room. She leaned down, lightly kissing his lips, those lips that were always frowning.

His eyes opened, narrowing slightly as he tried to take in her hazy features. "Sakuno, what are you doing?" She groaned as she lowered her lips to his shoulder, sucking at the skin until she managed to make a mark.

"Why are you so good looking," she whispered, lying solidly on his chest. She couldn't imagine what he would be like if he actually knew just how irresistible he was.

He was throwing her aroused teenage hormones out of alignment and he didn't even have to try. She caught his lips again, kissing him for all that she was worth, letting her tongue slip into his mouth to taste the spicy heat that was all him.

Tezuka allowed it, even participating before drawing away to turn his head. "It's too late tonight." Sakuno didn't argue, although her body wished that she would. That still didn't stop the light whimper that left her throat.

He kept her head on his chest as he lay there. "Tomorrow," he said. "We'll have time tomorrow."


	14. Chapter 13

I know it's been a while. I've been so busy with work and making sure that I do my brother's homework for his Master's program. I don't know I let myself be suckered into it, but there you go. I had been planning to have the post ready for last week since it was my birthday, but that didn't happen unfortunately. I hope that it's better late than never. Thank you all for your encouraging reviews. I love them. they keep me motivated to keep working on this story.

Disclaimer: If I owned Prince of Tennis, you'd better believe it'd be all about Tezuka.

Chapter 13

Sakuno had a hard time believing that she slept so well over night. It was so hard sometimes, having to be without her baby, that she usually awoke to any slight sound in the hopes that it was him.

Her husband had already gotten up for an early morning jog and was probably due to be back very soon. She got everything ready for them to take a shower together, remembering his promise of them perhaps spending time together before he left for school.

She couldn't help the giddy smile on her face. She hoped that he was in a good mood because she was ready to go, especially since her grandmother just left to head out early.

The door downstairs opened and closed. Sakuno rushed forward, trying to see who entered. "How was your run?" she asked Tezuka upon seeing him head up the stairs.

"Fine," he responded. He passed her, heading into the bedroom to take off his dripping shirt. He found his school uniform already neatly folded and waiting for him on the bed. Sakuno entered after him.

"I got everything ready so all you have to do is hop in the shower." He turned back toward her, slightly amazed that she was doing all this for him. Something must have crossed his face because she said, "Without Akira-chan here, I just don't know what to do with myself."

He nodded briefly. She led the way to the bathroom, taking her time to figure out how she was going to get him to remember his promise.

She undressed first, hopping in to wait for him. Tezuka hesitated only a moment, before he too took off the rest of his clothing to join her in her shower. He set his glasses on the sink to keep them dry. She smiled at him, leaving him room to stand before her so she could wash his back.

Tezuka leaned his head back, allowing the hot water to soothe his muscles. He knew what Sakuno was hoping would happen between them after turning her down the night before.

It was in the way her hands caressed his skin, teasingly, with every intention of enticing him. Of course, he would be a fool to say that he wasn't affected at all. As much control as he usually exhibited over his body, when it came to the soft curves pressed against him, he was ready to admit that even he could sometimes lose control; their son was evidence of that.

Sakuno took hold of his growing arousal. She pressed her body as close to him as possible, giving her room to lay kisses along his muscular back.

"I know we aren't going to have much time," she said, "but I'm hoping that we can still do this."

He turned suddenly in her arms, pulling her close to him in a kiss that scorched her with its hidden passion. Sakuno felt her knees grow weak. The other times had only been prelude to what he could do.

Tezuka lifted her, forcing her back against the wall. Sakuno fumbled between them to grasp his rock hard erection.

One kiss had been needed for her to get ready for him. She could feel the moisture spreading as she rubbed his tip against her sensitive nub. Tezuka dominated the kiss, keeping her his willing captive.

Then, he was pressing inside her. Sakuno moaned into his mouth as her muscles stretched around him. All she felt was the pleasure of him filling her, seemingly larger every time they were intimate.

Long legs wrapped around his lean hips, pulling herself closer to him. He thrust forward, sinking further. Their breaths panted together. "Kunimitsu," she whimpered as he retreated only to sink right back into her.

She wanted to tell him how much she needed him to keep filling her, to keep bringing her so much pleasure. But words wouldn't come. Endlessly he filled her. He was so smooth in his movements, treating it like it was a tennis match.

Every so often he grunted near inaudibly as a way of showing his pleasure. Sakuno held tightly to him as she felt her body grow taut. Then with a swivel of his hips, bringing the base of him in contact with her oversensitive clit, she came hard.

Tezuka continued to stroke her through her orgasm, coaxing another from her body right on top of the first. Sakuno screamed, her inner muscles convulsing against him.

Tezuka felt his body preparing for a climax of his own. His thrusts grew harder, faster, taking on a more erratic rhythm. Sakuno held him close as she felt his muscles clench. He spilled himself inside her.

His knees grew weak, forcing him to release his hold on his wife's thighs. Sakuno lowered to the tub, the hot water washing away the sweat that had accumulated on her skin.

She watched her husband finish his shower, before he turned to her and gave her a quick scrub down. Once sufficiently clean, they dried off with the available towels and Tezuka rushed to the bedroom to get changed and get out of the house to make it to class on time.

Sakuno climbed back into bed, reveling alone in the afterglow. She felt good, very good, in fact, she felt better than she could have ever imagined after two days of sex with her husband.

"Things just may be looking up for me finally," she said softly to herself. She certainly hoped so at least.

* * *

An had called, wanting to spend some time with Sakuno after she finished school. Sakuno had agreed to spend the day with her friend. It gave her someone to talk to about the big change in her marriage, someone who didn't have an invested interest in her marriage. She was still trying to figure out Tomo-chan's new place in her life as it was.

"Oh wow, Sakuno," An said after her friend had blushingly told the story of what happened that morning in the shower. "I really would have never thought that captain Tezuka had it in him to be so passionate. He's always seemed so much like a stick in the mud."

Sakuno couldn't help the slight smile touching her lips. "It's not like it would have ever been expected from me either."

Yeah, An had to admit, she never would have thought that Sakuno could seduce anyone. So it really was a huge surprise that the two unlikeliest of people would be together.

An got on the bus with Sakuno to pick up Akira before they went back to the campus. An didn't really want to hang out at Seigaku, but since Momo was going to be there, she figured it would be fun to bother him. They were supposed to stop for an ice cream as well, which with the warm weather would have been a wonderful addition.

"So do you think that you two will ever fully be in love," An asked. The bus ride seemed so long so it wasn't as if there was anything else to talk about.

Sakuno shrugged. It was very hard to say as far as she was concerned. Her husband wasn't the sort to ever focus on anything resembling a relationship. If she hadn't been able to understand that then she was sure the marriage would have suffered greater trouble.

She didn't want to fully give up her dream of a fairytale love. But it had taken a severe blow once she'd given her virginity to someone she knew nothing about other than that he was a great tennis player. If that weren't enough, then there was the birth of little Akira and a marriage to the same man she knew nothing about.

"I think it can happen," she said finally. "We are growing together and I think I really like him."

"I'd imagine so if he's as great in bed as you say," said An while she fanned her hot face. "I don't think that Ryoma can compare." She stopped suddenly wondering how Sakuno would react.

Sakuno had said she didn't care anymore, but An was still worried that her friend might have some residual feelings for him. "I'm sorry," she said quickly.

Sakuno turned from looking out the window. "Sorry about what? I mean, I've gotten over it all and as a married woman, how can I be jealous about someone not my husband?" She smiled brightly. "I'm just glad to know that I have a good husband."

The bus soon approached their stop. The girls got off the bus, An still feeling a little awkward about brining up Ryoma in the conversation. She followed Sakuno to her in-law's home to pick up the baby.

"I can't think about Ryoma-kun that way," Sakuno said suddenly as they walked. An glanced in her direction, confused by the turn in the conversation. "I mean, he's never really paid all that much attention to me anyway. I always hoped that there would be something normal and tangible, but he treated me no different from any other girl."

"That's not true," An said, to which Sakuno responded with a sad head shake.

"If he really loved me the way I loved him, he wouldn't have ever slept with Tomoka." She smiled to take the sting out of her words. "He would have approached me long before now. Kunimitsu might have approached me because of my grandmother, but he treated me as more than a simple fan girl." She laughed suddenly. "When you look at it, thy're so much alike and yet where it matters they are so different."

She didn't expound on what she meant about their being different because what would be the point? All the months of longing for a different man aside, when she actually thought about it, thought about her life she knew that she had the better man.

"That reminds me," An said suddenly. "How is the reconciliation going with that friend of yours?"

Sakuno shrugged. "It's going well I guess. I don't know if I'm ever going to be able to trust her completely, but we're trying." An nodded.

"Well it wasn't like she was being any real friend. I know it sounds mean, but she totally turned her back on you when you needed her the most," she paused when Sakuno sighed. "I'm not saying it to be mean or to stop you from being her friend. I just don't think that you should forget exactly what kind of friend she proved to be at your biggest hour of need."

She was right of course. Sakuno knew that An was right. Tomoka hadn't been a very good friend, but at the same time, she was just so tired of the arguing.

They finally reached the house, picked up Akira and his stroller, then made their way toward the nearest ice cream shop. A little ice cold confection was just what she needed to put all these deep thoughts behind her.

* * *

Tezuka stood beside Ryuzaki-sensei watching over the others as they practiced. He longed to join in, to set the racquet in his hand and play a match, but this time around he was supposed to help lead.

"Ah, it looks as if Sakuno finally made it," he heard the coach say. Tezuka's eyes were drawn to the two females approaching with the familiar stroller. "And they brought Akira too."

Ryuzaki-sensei took off for her granddaughter and great grandson, leaving the captain to continue watching everyone else. He wasn't blind to the way that Echizen kept looking at his wife, or the way that Sakuno no longer seemed to care.

Sakuno's eyes caught his. She waved, gifting him with a blinding smile that he wasn't sure how he should handle.

He turned away quickly, more than a little embarrassed by her behavior. It had been like that since he started sleeping with her. It was nice, but he surely hoped that she didn't expect that he was going to change his ways over night. Public affection had never really been his thing.

He kept practice running smoothly, while the coach was distracted by the baby. With the next tournament coming up he wanted to make sure that they kept winning. He wanted to end his last year of school tennis in the best way possible.

His eyes glanced back toward where his wife stood. One thing was for sure, this year had brought him some unexpected returns. He turned back to the practice. What good did it do to be all nostalgic?

* * *

Tezuka wasn't sure why everyone seemed so insistent upon forcing him to hang out in public so often, now that he was a father. There didn't seem to be a day that went by that he wasn't asked to go with the group to Taka-san's family sushi restaurant.

If he went, then they all knew that he wouldn't leave Sakuno out of the group outing. And if Sakuno came, then that meant that Akira had to come. He supposed that was the real angle.

The whole team was so excited about their new little mascot that they couldn't control themselves. He was cute, and they adored him greatly.

"He makes us want to perform better," Fuji had once admitted to him. "He makes us excited."

Tezuka wasn't sure what he thought about it, but he supposed he could understand. He too, wanted to perform better for his son. How was he to make a future for Akira if he didn't do better than what was his current best.

But, he still wasn't sure that he wanted to be out like this. An had called her brother to gather his teammates together to join in the festivities. So now Tezuka was surrounded by players he really had nothing to say to.

He pulled Akira a little higher on his lap when his son began to fuss. The baby immediately latched on to his thumb. Tezuka wanted to sit in his usual spot at the counter with Ryzaki-sensei and Sakuno. But his team hadn't let him since he was the one holding the baby.

"So are you guys as excited about the next tournament as we are?" Taichibana asked the group.

"It feels almost like it did when we were in junior high," Oishi said. Everyone was quiet for a moment as they thought about it.

For many of the seniors, unless they went to university, this was their last chance at playing. Some, like Tezuka had the aspiration to go pro, but they had to put in a lot of work to be able to achieve it.

Tezuka pulled his thumb from his son's mouth, with a slight frown tugging at his lips. He had a lot of work left to do, to make it pro like he dreamed. There were tournaments he needed to play. He had to make a decision on an agent. There was a lot that would have to go on for him before he graduated.

His head tilted slightly to watch the top of his son's head as the others broke the serious mood. He had some decisions to make and not nearly as much time to make those decisions.


	15. Chapter 14

I'm so sorry that it has been forever since I've uploaded a chapter, but I've had a very rough semester which has caused a temporary loss of will to write. I'm hoping that when the winter break comes and after some soul searching I can get back on track. I sincerely hope that you guys are willing to bear with me.

Disclaimer: see previous chapter

Chapter 14

She knew something was wrong with her husband. She could just feel it in the back of her mind, that something was troubling his mind. He was quieter than usual and often kept looking at her throughout the night. She wasn't sure if she was going to be able to help him puzzle out his thoughts, but she knew that she had to try something.

She set aside the book she had been reading. He sat at the desk, not doing homework, because she figured she would know if he were doing that. He just held his head between his hands, not doing anything.

She approached him, allowing her hands to fall gently onto his shoulders. "Are you okay?" she asked him as she began to knead the tension from his shoulders and neck. He sighed, but didn't answer for a long moment.

She dug in deeper trying to work the tension from his body. She didn't want to push him into telling her his problems, but she did want to know. Finally, he spoke. "I don't fully know what I'm going to do. This is my last year but it's not your last year."

She trailed her hands down his arms to embrace him around his shoulders. She'd been thinking about that too lately, a lot. It wasn't fair to him that she wasn't close to graduation. She didn't want to be the one to hold him back from his dreams. "That's not important," she said.

One of his hands covered the two she clasped around him. "It is important. Part of my job is to think of everything, especially since there is more than me to think of now. I have to think about more than what I want at this point. I have to think about what is right for all us."

Sakuno chuckled slightly. "You know what I've been thinking about?" she asked. When he turned his head slightly toward her, she knew he was listening. "I was thinking about this very same thing. I was wondering if I should go back to school and finish or if I should continue as I've been doing now. Then I thought of something. You'll be done and I'll still be in school. What would we do then? Do you know what I came up with?"

His shoulders lifted a bit in a shrug. "I'm willing to leave school," she said softly. She moved away when he turned all the way toward her.

"I can't let you do that. You need to have something for the future, have some kind of plan. We have already gone through so much in our young lives. I can't expect you to give up more."

Sakuno made herself comfortable on his lap. Tezuka allowed her to do it. She wrapped her arms back around his neck, making herself comfortable with him as she tried to explain her thoughts. "Things are not like they were before. We can't change what happened. We can only work on what we have now. For right now, I want you to concentrate on your tennis. I made a promise when I found out I was pregnant. I swore that I would not be the cause of you losing your career. You have a great tennis career ahead of you and it is my job as your wife to support you."

Tezuka felt the tension release from his body. Sakuno was willingly taking away a lot of his fears. A lot of his worry had to do with her reaction to the situation. He didn't want her to feel as if he were going to stop her from doing what she wanted to do, but at the same time he had his own dreams to consider.

He turned the chair back toward facing the desk. When Sakuno looked she saw pamphlets for tennis programs. "I may have some great opportunities coming up. I want to spend this last season with the team if I can, but I just had to know that if something really good came up if you were willing to leave Japan with me."

A soft smile lit her face. It was sweet of him to think about her feelings. It only proved just how much he was a good guy. She laid a kiss on his cheek before climbing off his lap. "Whatever it takes, we'll make it through. You'll have your tennis career." That was just what he needed to hear.

~*~

It was such a beautiful day to have a tennis match. The sun shined brightly. The breeze felt just perfect. There was not a single cloud in the sky.

Sakuno had come to the park, fully intending to enjoy herself. She had a blanket spread out on the grass, close to the tennis courts were her team was scheduled to play their first match of the tournament. Akira sat in her lap, wearing his newer, slightly larger Seigaku uniform.

In her hands she held a toy for him as he tried to devour the spindly legs attached to it. An shared her blanket with her, talking about the possible outcomes of the tournament.

Sakuno hoped that her boys won. She wanted her husband to have the best chance at a great season, especially since a lot of the professional scouts were taking more notice of him.

She knew it would be so great for him to make it pro, like a dream come true. She couldn't hide the slight smile.

"So is your friend supposed to be on her way?" An asked, interrupting her train of thought.

Sakuno shrugged. "We're still not talking all that much so I don't really know what's going on. I guess if she were coming she'd already be here. Or she might just be running late."

Truthfully, Sakuno had other things to worry about rather than chase after Tomoka. She just had a conversation with her grandmother about leaving school all together. That was a hard conversation, considering her grandmother wasn't very happy with the plan.

But Sakuno held firm. She explained her wish to make things easy on her husband. Her grandmother had no control over Sakuno's marriage or Tezuka's career. It had to be expected that someone would have to give up something for the other.

Sakuno didn't think what she was giving up was as detrimental as what Tezuka would be giving up if he pushed his career aside for her.

She hadn't told anyone else of what she planned, partly in fear of what other people would think. The trouble she got in for being a teenage mother was more than enough for her to worry about.

An's hand waving in her face presented a good distraction to her thoughts. "What has you all thoughtful? I've been trying to get your attention for a while now."

Sakuno sighed. She could probably tell An anything. An hadn't judged her when she saw the baby. She'd treated Sakuno just as she always treated her. Like a friend. "I'm dropping out of school," Sakuno said after a moment of watching her son.

An gave a short whistle. "Can't say it's all that surprising considering. I mean, Tezuka-buchou is going to graduate before you know it and then who knows where you two will end up."

Sakuno nibbled on her bottom lip to hide her smile. "That's kind of what I was thinking. I can't hold him back anymore than I already have." She hugged her son closer to her body. "I feel bad that I kind of pressured him into being with me in the first place. And then I get pregnant on top of it all?"

"It can't have been easy for him," An said. In fact, both quietly understood that if it had been any other guy but Tezuka Kunimitsu, there was a possibility that Sakuno would be a single mother at this moment.

Sakuno cringed. She very much preferred being married to being alone trying to raise a baby. She was distracted from having to say anything by the approach of her husband.

He reached down to pick up his son when the baby began cooing for his father's attention. "The other team doesn't seem to have all their people yet," Tezuka said with his usual frown in place.

Sakuno glanced at her watch. There was only three minutes left before they would be disqualified. An gave a grimace as the thought came to her mind as well. "It must suck to be the ones who are here. I'd want to kill my absent teammates."

Tezuka gave a slight grunt that could mean anything. Sakuno watched his head try to avoid Akira's grasping hands. The baby had developed a fixation on his father's glasses and always tried to take them off his father's face every chance he got. His father fighting the inevitable just made it that much more fun for him. Tezuka gently clasped the hand reaching for the glasses. He brought the hand to his mouth to kiss the tiny fingers.

For a moment, father and son played a slight game of tug of war as Akira continued to try to get his hand free to grab at his father's glasses. Tezuka was finally forced to face his son outward to keep the baby distracted. Once turned away, Akira contented himself to play with his father's jacket sleeve.

Sakuno watched the whole thing amused by the behavior of the two men in her life. She wondered, as she always did at these times, if getting pregnant were actually a blessing and not a curse as many would have seen it.

Akira made her happy. Being married to Tezuka was unlike anything she had ever imagined. So maybe she wouldn't be able to get the education that her grandmother always dreamed of. She was enjoying life in a different way. She almost couldn't imagine a life without him now that she had him.

A smile lit her face. She really didn't have much to complain about. He gave her everything that she needed. He respected her and surprisingly made her very happy with her life.

She patted the spot next to her, inviting her husband to sit with them as they waited for word on the other team. Naturally, the tennis captain declined the offer in favor of standing with his team.

When he walked away carrying Akira An said, "He's such a good team captain. It's actually pretty amazing when you think about it, balancing everything that's on his plate right now."

"But sometimes he worries too much," Sakuno said. She felt like he didn't take enough time for himself. He was always so concerned with team matters and making sure that she and Akira were happy. She had no doubt that he would have further set his plans aside if she hadn't decided to leave school completely. But it was all part of his appeal.

An jumped up from her seat after glancing at the time. "Well, it looks like time is about up. I guess we'd better get going and see what's going on with the boys." Sakuno followed her friend after helping to pack up the equipment.

She just hoped that it all shaped up to be a very good tournament. The guys deserved a good challenge.

~*~

It was a perfectly quiet night. For Sakuno, the night was even better because she got to lounge with her husband. It wasn't as if it were something too major for her husband to deal with.

After the awesome tennis tournament played and an ever better dinner, Sakuno had suggested they watch a couple of movies together. It was the weekend. He didn't have practice the next day. Akira was sleeping quietly in his playpen near by. It was a no contest situation, at least from her point of view.

They lay on the couch together. Sakuno cuddled close. She could hear his hear his steady heartbeat under her ear. She felt so content and so safe. It was nice.

She couldn't say much about the movie. Hell, she didn't really know what it was they were watching. But she probably would have been able to comment on just how good her husband smelled or how steady and calm he was.

She closed her eyes for a moment just to enjoy it. Being here at this moment, she wondered what it was that kept her so attached to Ryoma-kun for so long.

Tezuka ran his hand along her back carefully. He was getting so much better at physical contact. "Are you ready to go to bed?" he asked her quietly. She shook her head in the negative.

She wasn't really tired yet. "I don't want to move." She leaned up to kiss the available skin at his throat. His arm tightened around her briefly in acknowledgment of her kiss.

They watched the rest of the movie together, just enjoying the time that they could spend with one another. Akira woke a few times, reminding his parents of his presence, but it was nothing too disturbing of the peace.

Soon, it was time for everyone to head up to bed. Tezuka took care of putting Akira in his crib while Sakuno made sure everything was put away down stairs.

By the time she reached the bedroom, her husband was already laying on his side asleep. She couldn't help the gentle smile that touched her lips.

She dressed in her night clothes before climbing into bed with Tezuka. Almost immediately, she formed her body to him. She fell asleep anticipating the morning when they could do other family activities.

~*~

The sun beat down heavily on the group surrounding the tennis court. Tezuka stood slightly apart from the others as he conversed with Ryuzaki-sensei about the practice that was to begin.

For the most part everyone was still riding the high of their tournament win and hoped that with the next practices continued to go smoothly, though silently hoping that this practice would be relatively easy.

For Tezuka he felt nearly at peace for the first time. The decision that Sakuno had made to leave school for the time being had given him the opportunity to think further of his future with a clearer conscience.

He knew and understood that Ryuzaki-sensei was displeased that Sakuno decided to leave her education behind, but eventually understood it was for the best of Tezuka's career and for Akira's development.

It had then been decided that after his graduation, Tezuka would take his family to Germany as he originally planned so that he could try to break into the world of professional tennis, barring any major setbacks.

Hopefully by the time that Akira was ready for school he would have been able to provide a nice home for his family. The movement of his lips could have either been a smile or frown depending.

Having completed his conversation with the coach Tezuka approached his tennis bag with every intention of getting practice started. He knew that the other team members were hoping for an easy time, but he didn't feel like taking it easy. He had a new purpose that required that he continue to up his level of athleticism.

He rifled briefly though his bag, surprised for a moment that Sakuno's racquet was inside it. He picked it up, twirling it in his right hand for a moment as he tried to think of why her racquet would be with him.

His mind drew a complete blank while absently playing with the strings. A slight frown touched upon his lips. He would have to take her to restring the racquet very soon he noticed. The strings were loosening some.

Shaking his head in slight amusement, he returned it the bag after grabbing his own. He determined that Sakuno must have accidentally placed her racquet in his back without knowing it. She probably had been very busy and thought it was his and not hers.

Well since it was here he guessed that he could take her after practice was over to get in some extra time with her. He was sure she would like that very much.

His task completed Tezuka turned to his teammates. "Fifty laps," he said, ignoring the groans. He waited for them all to get started before beginning his own laps. It was for their good. He would not let them let their guard down and slack off just because they happened to be having a good season.

By the time they had reached the point of starting the actual drill work Sakuno had arrived with Akira in tow. Eiji immediately built up excitement at see the little chibi, though everyone knew Akira wouldn't smile for him.

Tezuka only allowed that one short break before forcing everyone back to practice. They had work to do before the next tournament and not a lot of time to get it done in his opinion.


	16. Chapter 15

Okay, so here's what's been going on. I had to sort some things out in my life and unfortunately that affected my writing big time. I've decided to give up the career path I'd been thinking about taking and going for what I really want to do. This has allowed my creativity to come back out big time. This chapter is unedited because I was sure you all wanted something to read. I'll come back at some point and fix the errors I know is there and I'll try not to be gone too long again. I love you guys for reviewing and pushing for me to continue with the story. I haven't forgotten it and I can honestly say I can't wait until I can call this a complete story.

Disclaimer: Wish I could say I own Prince of Tennis, but I can't.

Chapter 15

Since learning of Sakuno's decision to leave school to allow for his career he'd been a little conflicted. For the most part there was a great sense of relief. He didn't have to worry about setting aside his dream, hoping for the best while he waited for Sakuno to finish up her own schooling. On the other hand, he felt bad about her giving up her life for him.

He didn't know how he was going to make it up to her. Her sacrifice humbled him greatly. No one had ever done something of such a magnitude for him. It was more than just part of the duties of a wife. It was enough to make a man fall in love.

The edges of his lips quirked upward. It was so strange, thinking about the word love and associating it to a girl like Sakuno. He wasn't very sure if he knew the meaning. Certainly, he couldn't imagine being in love with Sakuno.

Maybe that was the old Sakuno. That bumbling little girl who'd spent all her time chasing after Echizen and blushing had been so annoying. The girl who spent her whole time at a party crying because she found "the love of her life" having sex with a false friend had been the worst to deal with.

But, the drunken little girl who had been bold enough to offer her virginity to an inebriated teen had been the turning point for him.

It seemed insane to think that he'd ever allowed himself to be weak. But clearly, even someone as strong as he occasionally fell prey to a willing woman. Admittedly all his mental faculties had been missing when he was presented with a naked Sakuno begging him to make her a woman like Tomo-chan.

He knew that she barely remembered that night, but he remembered enough. He remembered turning her away the first time only to have to rescue her from someone from another team who would have taken advantage of her.

Never had he been so angry to learn just how drunken Sakuno was. She hadn't even cared who touched her as long as she was touched. In his own lack of sobriety he convinced himself that by sleeping with her he was protecting her just as he'd promised Ryuzaki-sensei.

But look where it got him, a young wife and an infant son. It still didn't seem real in many ways. Whenever he looked at his little boy he had to wonder if it had all been a dream or if he really was a husband and a father at his age.

That it didn't seem to stop his advancement in tennis seemed a small miracle. For sure he thought someone would have been against him playing tennis and certainly he wouldn't have thought anyone would be interested in knowing about him as a teenage father.

It really was a testament to his wife. Looking at the mature woman she'd become he had to wonder if maybe he could be possibly falling for her. She was everything a wife was supposed to be. She was kind; she was the perfect mother for their son. She took care of him and made doubly sure that his career remained where it should be. She didn't ask for much from him other than he play tennis, make to the professional level and stay committed to the marriage.

He wasn't so sure he could have found much better. Could he really be thinking that he could be with her for the rest of his life? He still wasn't sure about that one, but if things remained as they were, he could see it happening. She made it very comfortable for him and he liked that about her a lot.

Tezuka brought his attention back to the work he was trying to complete for tennis. The next round of the tournaments were coming up and he had to make sure that only the strongest members of the squad could be regulars.

He sighed. He really wished that this foolishness were over so that he could fully concentrate on the next part of his life. As bad as it seemed to say at this point in the season, he was ready to start playing professionally in order to take care of his family.

He had to do something with the chance that Sakuno was giving him. He had Akira's needs too to think of. At some time the boy would be of school age, although thinking of the infant he could easily hold in his arms as anything but a baby seemed strange in and of itself. Then there would be more schooling until he was an adult.

Tezuka grimaced. Those sorts of thoughts weren't good for the moment. He much rather forget all about it and pretend that time would never come. He turned his eyes back to his intra team tournament schedule. As soon as he got this done he could go home and the sooner he could go home the more time he would have to spend with his little family.

~*~

Akira always seemed to think of bath time as play time. Sakuno wasn't sure how the baby could think of getting clean as something funny, but watching as her son kept trying to take the washcloth from her did give her some enjoyment.

It was so cute she wished if her possible to take a picture. Only, there was no way she was leaving an infant unattended in the bath. That was one thing one of the books she'd been reading was adamant about.

She smiled at her son laugh. Well she could always hold on to the mental image of her son being the cutest baby. That at least was something, but when he finally learned to walk, she would make sure she had a camera of some sort nearby to capture such a sight.

The sound of the opening door downstairs interrupted her thoughts. She lifted the baby from the bath and wrapped him in a towel. Akira cried a bit at the cold air, but she shushed him patiently. "That should be daddy home. Want to go say hello?" she asked the baby.

He gave a slight smile which she took to mean yes. Quickly she put a diaper on him and ran for where her husband was coming up the stairs. When he saw her Tezuka paused, allowing her to come the rest of the way to him.

"How was practice?" she asked him.

"Fine," he said. "Tomorrow we begin the first round of the intra school tournaments." That was right, she'd forgotten about those.

Well, looking at her husband she was hardly worried about his position as a regular. In her mind they didn't come better than Tezuka Kunimitsu. But she knew she couldn't tell him that because her husband would never fully relax about his position as a regular. He could never let his guard down on the tennis court.

With a smile she passed over Akira to his father. "Well, kira-kun and I will definitely be there to cheer you on. We'll make sure to set up the best cheering section."

Tezuka released a very tiny smile in her direction as he headed toward the bedroom to set his things down. Sakuno followed behind him as she began to relay all the things she and Akira had done that day.

She wanted to tell him about some of the activities she heard of to keep busy during the day. Now that she no longer had to focus on school she had to find something to keep her happy. She wasn't sure she could sit in the house all day.

Her husband seemed to listen to her with an attentive ear which she appreciated. She wasn't sure what all she had to say, she felt the need to talk to him and to actually spend time with her husband.

She was just about to go on to another subject when Tezuka handed her a stack of papers. Sakuno stared at them for a long moment, not understanding what was going on. "What are these for?" she asked him.

He shrugged. "For when we eventually move," was all he said. He left her in the room taking the baby with him down the stairs. Sakuno glanced down at what she had been given. Tears sprang to her eyes she was presented with paperwork related to information for a GED program.

She collapsed onto the edge of the bed in disbelief that he had done a search for her. He had information for various programs in different countries. Each pamphlet had the imperative items highlighted for her to look over.

She couldn't believe he'd done this for her. It was so sweet in a way, as if he were trying to thank her in his own way for giving up her education for him. A bright smile lit her features. This had to prove he cared for her. She couldn't imagine he'd go through all this trouble for her if she meant nothing right?

She certainly hoped so.

~*~

"Do you see daddy playing tennis Kira-kun?" Sakuno said to her son as she held him in the perfect position to see what was going on at the courts. All Sakuno could focus on was her husband playing at his absolute best.

She didn't know what it was that changed about him, but there was something about Tezuka that made him so much more amazing than he'd ever been at tennis.

The sight of him made her heart sing. She loved him, what he did for her last night let her know the truth in her heart. She loved her husband and if the new light in his eyes were indication he at least held some form of affection for her.

She hoped he did love her because she couldn't imagine a life without him now. The times they played tennis together, the nights he would make love to her, and just the all around way he treated her was sometimes too good to be true.

She wondered if it were all a dream and she would wake to find none of it had been real. She nibbled at her lower lip. She couldn't imagine what it would be like to go back to her old life. What she had now was so much preferred to what it could have been.

She gave a happy shout when she noticed Tezuka won his second set. He approached her position at the fence. She leaned down to lay a gentle kiss on the top of her son's head, completely missing the flash of the camera.

She spun around finding Inoue-san and Shiba-san standing there. "Oh," Sakuno said with a deep blush lighting her cheeks. "I didn't know you two would be here. Did you need something?" She would have to have been a fool not to know the picture taken had been of her and Tezuka. It was kind of embarrassing to have been caught so off guard.

Inoue-san smiled brightly. "Well apparently Tezuka's article went so well the readers would like a follow up of him. They are also interested in hearing about his wife as well."

Sakuno shared a look with her husband. Were they actually serious about this? She couldn't give an interview of her own. What if she somehow managed to mess up his career and instead of playing tennis he had to find something else to do. She didn't know if she would be able to live with herself if his playing tennis were jeopardized by something she did.

She didn't notice her husband exiting the court to give in his score for the tournament. By the time he returned she still hadn't managed to get over her shock at being asked to be interviewed.

His hand on her shoulder drew her attention. "You should do it," he said. "Don't worry about anything."

That made her feel much better. Knowing her husband approved of her doing the interview made her feel as if she really could do it. "Okay then, I don't mind doing it."

While the rest of the matches played out she answered questions about what it was like being married to Tezuka Kunimitsu. Those types of questions she was able to answer because really, it wasn't bad at all to talk about. She had no clear how the article would come out as a whole but she had to admit she was pretty pleased with what she said.

By the time she finished with the interview it was time for the tournament to end until the next day when the regulars would be decided. Tezuka then took his turn answering question for the second part of his interview for the Tennis Pro magazine.

Sakuno stood by his side this time, listening to how he presented himself. He looked like a professional standing there answering questions in his calm voice. She could only imagine what it would be like when he finally graduated and managed to get the chance to pursue his career.

Every now and then she noticed Shiba-san taking photos of them as a couple with Akira. It still seemed so strange to know people were interested in her. She hadn't done anything amazing. All she had done was to stand aside to allow Tezuka to continue on as he had been only, now they had a child.

~*~

Ryoma watched from the shadows as his tennis captain and his former groupie talked to the people from the magazine. He pissed off that everyone seemed to almost be praising Tezuka for what was going on in life. It was like, no one cared that he had gotten a young girl pregnant and then had been forced to marry her to make it right.

And the way Sakuno was acting. It was sickening to see the way she stared at Tezuka with stars in her eyes. She was supposed to be his cheering section not standing with his rival.

There had to be something he could do to break them up. But actually showing Sakuno he was interested in her didn't seem to work. She didn't want to be alone with him to talk. She hardly ever looked at him anymore. It was insane the way she was behaving.

Tezuka wasn't likely to fall prey to another female as well. He never really showed attention to anyone. Which, now that Ryoma was thinking, could be his advantage. If he could get Sakuno to believe her husband didn't care for her, then it would be easy to break apart the relationship. Tezuka hardly seemed the type to mention his feelings, even to the girl he married so it should be a breeze to start Sakuno casting doubt on Tezuka's feelings.

Sakuno would have no choice but to draw back to his side. Yes it seemed kind of cruel, but at this point Ryoma didn't care. He had to get Sakuno back and he had to get her to want to leave the brat behind too. He wasn't interested in the kid.

"Hey Ryoma," he heard someone say behind him. He turned to find Tomoka standing there, her arms crossed over her chest. "Don't think it's time you grow up. Sakuno obviously isn't interested in you."

He said nothing as he began to walk away. What she Tomoka know about anything.

~*~

It was another one of those nights where Tezuka insisted they play tennis at one of the park courts. Sakuno was ready this time to get going. They left Akira with her grandmother for about an hour so the couple could have some time alone.

They didn't talk about anything. They barely had time between the volleys they played. Sakuno was having the most fun she'd had in a while. She still couldn't manage to get a point on him; she was able to see the tangible evidence showing her just how improved her playing was.

Tezuka even commented on her playing. She could not help the smile that kept lighting her features. When they were packing the equipment away Sakuno felt the need to just give him a hug. So she did. And it made her heart happy that he actually returned the hug.

She couldn't help but say, "I think I'm starting to fall in love with you." Tezuka didn't say anything for a long moment which began to worry Sakuno. Was she wrong to have said something so serious? Did he not feel the same way for her?

The longer the silence lasted the more worried she got. She nibbled at her lower lip as she waited for her husband to say something, anything, in reply to her words.

Then, just as she was about to despair he said, "Same here." His words were better than Sakuno ever could have asked for.

Sakuno gave a shout for joy as she hugged her husband once more. It didn't matter that they weren't sure whether what they had was real love yet. All that mattered was that he felt the same way she did. That definitely meant something in her book.

"We should go home," Tezuka finally said. "It should be time to put Akira to bed. She nodded quickly and pulled away from him, but not before giving him a quick kiss.

"Your right," she said. "It is time to put him to bed."

They began walking toward home. Sakuno started to think about what she could do further for Tezuka to thank him for being in this relationship for him. Everything she had done, it didn't feel as if it were enough to show him she appreciated the large sacrifice he'd made to be with her.

An idea began to formulate in her mind. It was a very small thing she could do for him, but perhaps if she pulled it off, he could show him just how much she thought of him.


	17. Chapter 16

I had this chapter mostly done, but then some things came up like work and I'm taking a summer writing class that's been interfering in my fanfiction. But I made myself get this done. I just want to say, thank you guys again for such great reviews. You really keep me involved in this story. It's unedited, so I'll have to eventually come back to it and fix it, but hey, it's here.

Disclaimer: Still don't own Prince of Tennis, but wish I did because it would have been a wild ride.

Chapter 16

Sakuno had a doctor's appointment to get to. Akira had to get his check up and she was eager to see how his growing was coming along. Every time she turned around it seemed she had to get bigger clothing for him.

She had to smile about it. He was already able to crawl and it was scary to think he would eventually be walking. But, she had to tell herself, it wasn't happening now.

She picked up her son. She cuddled him to her chest as she got ready to head out of the house. She made it to the doctor's on time and everything with Akira checked out perfectly. He was incredibly healthy at his age and she had nothing to worry about.

The thought made her smile. It was a good thing because Seigaku was working hard toward making the finals and with the high school showcase coming up she had to ensure there would be nothing to distract her husband from his playing.

It was already set that Tezuka was invited to the camp to find out who would make the team Japan when they got another chance to play against the Americans. She was so excited because she'd done what she set out to do.

She pieced together enough money to be able to buy her husband a brand new top of the line racket for his playing. She hoped he liked it and that it would help in his playing because she had to think so long and hard about showing him thanks for information about adult schooling.

After leaving the doctor's office Sakuno made her way to the sports store to pick up her purchase. She had to pay a little extra for it to be nicely gift wrapped, but that was okay, she was able to deal with anything as long as it meant Tezuka got what he deserved.

~*~

Tezuka packed with a methodical fervor he was known for on the court. As he knew Sakuno intended to once more volunteer her time he knew he had to be especially careful in his packing.

It wasn't that he didn't trust his wife to complete her own packing. He just wasn't so sure if they should be taking Akira with them or not. The baby wasn't bad or even hard to deal with, it was just he was a baby and naturally could be a bit distracting when you have to keep up with him.

He gave a slight sigh at the thought of his son traveling with them. He could see the other players becoming annoying trying to figure out if Akira were a new strength or a weakness. They were sure to want to ask him a ton of questions he really didn't want to have to answer.

He left the bedroom with every intention of seeing him could talk Sakuno out of bringing Akira with them. He was sure his parents wouldn't mind too much watching the him while they handled business.

He looked all over the house for his wife and couldn't seem to find her like he hoped. With no recourse he found himself back in the bedroom where he found a wrapped package with his name on it.

He was curious as it hadn't been there before. He opened it carefully, finding the racket he'd been thinking about buying for a while now. Under the racket there was a note from Sakuno thanking him for being such a wonderful and caring husband to her.

He was stunned. He hadn't even remembered ever mentioning that he was looking for a new racket, this one in particular. He was aware of how much she had to have spent on it. He couldn't accept it. It was way too much and he was sure he could get her to buy him something cheaper.

This time, when he turned to seek her out, he found her standing right before him with a bright smile on her face. "Do you love it?" she asked him.

He glanced back down at the rack. Yes he loved it, but it was just too much for her to do for him. She kept giving up so much for him and he was afraid he'd never be able to pay her back for all the kindness she kept showing him. He didn't know how to make her see either, because clearly she seemed to think he was doing something extra special for her.

So he just sighed and nodded about the racket. He might as well keep it and use it. Besides from the way Sakuno behaved, he was sure the best way to pay her back would be to keep playing to the best of his abilities.

The showcase would make the perfect start as he was sure there will be a great many scouts and agents looking for the next best talent. Gently, he laid a kiss on her forehead before returning to his packing.

He made sure to pack up the new racket to work on breaking it in at the camp. While he continues packing he discusses the value of having Akira come with them. He suggests they could leave Akira with his parents for the time.

Sakuno didn't really like that idea, stating, "It's a lot to ask of your parents. I'm sure there's going to be a lot going on to keep him occupied. He really shouldn't give us any trouble."

Tezuka still had his doubts, but if it was what Sakuno wanted, he was willing to give it to her. He helped her figure out the best items to take for a small child. Most of the toys wouldn't be able to fit into Ryuzaki-san's car, but they knew they had to optimize what they could if they were going to have Akira be okay.

It was late by the time they climbed into bed. As usual he felt his wife curled up against his back. He was really coming to find that he really anticipated these moments at night.

It was soothing in a way, knowing that Sakuno was just there for him. He laced their fingers together. Yes, he really enjoyed spending this time with her.

~*~

It may have taken time, but Ryoma was sure he had a steady enough plan in place to get Sakuno's attention. He literally couldn't stand watching the way she fawned over Tezuka and it just seemed to keep getting worse.

He should be able to find some way of spending time alone with her at this camp. There was just no way she could always be surrounded, and when he got her alone he would make sure she understood just how much her "husband" really didn't love her. If he had to lie to accomplish his goals, he was sure he was willing to do so.

All he needed was the perfect partner to ensure his plan was fool proof. He headed over to the family phone to call Tomoka with his plan. He was sure he could get her to agree to help him out.

He dialed her number and waited for her to pick up. Finally there was an answer of the fifth ring. "Moshi moshi," he heard someone say.

"Tomoka."

There was a slight paused before he heard, "Yes Ryoma-sama. What did you need?"

Since she couldn't see it, Ryoma gave a little smirk. "Are you going to volunteer at the camp again? Because I'll need your help to get some alone time with Sakuno."

"Why would you need to do that?"

He released a laugh. "Come on, you've seen the way she makes a fool of herself around Tezuka-buchou. Someone has to let her know that he's not interested in her that way and that she's just a burden to him and nothing more. I figure I should be the one to do it."

"That's very cold," Tomoka finally said. "She has a son with him. So shouldn't we be trying to keep her with him?"

"Why? You and I both know he's only with her because of the baby. We'll be saving her heartbreak if we get her to leave him now. So are you in?"

She was quiet for so long Ryoma was almost afraid she wouldn't answer him. "I'll think about it."

She hung up the phone. Ryoma soon went to bed, all his plans following him into his dreams.

~*~

Tomoka really had a decision to make. She had to tell someone about what Ryoma was planning. She wasn't very sure anymore if she recognized Ryoma. He wasn't the same at all and something needed to be done about the monster he had become.

She stared at the picture of the two of them on her nightstand. She had been such a fool to think that Ryoma would ever get over this obsession he had for Sakuno. She wasn't interested in him, and suddenly he behaved as if a stranger.

Well, since it was obvious he had no interest in her; there was no point in trying to keep any sort of loyalty to him. She determined that maybe this time she should think about telling the tennis captain. Maybe he would know what to do.

She wiped the tears away from her eyes. It was just best to move on as Sakuno obviously had done. She just wished it didn't have to hurt as much as it did.

~*~

Morning arrived. Tezuka, his wife, and son packed themselves into Ryuzaki-sensei's car for the trip to the tennis camp grounds. In his mind all Tezuka could think about was if he managed to somehow get everything packed.

It seemed as if even with all the bags they still were forgetting something. He glanced at his son in the car seat. Well, they'd have to worry about it later. As long as they had Akira and his rackets he wouldn't worry about anything.

Sakuno smiled in his direction. "Don't worry. I'm sure we have everything." He nodded once. He climbed into the passenger's seat, allowing his wife to sit in the back with their son. They were soon off.

Akira was a good little boy for most of the ride. Any fussing he did was manageable. For most of the ride Tezuka ran statistics of what players would be present at the camp and how they would perform through his mind. He needed to make sure he kept his talents at the same level.

In the backseat he could hear Sakuno giving Akira attention. His lips turned down slightly. He still wondered if this were actually a good idea or not to bring his son.

Since it was incredibly too late, he decided to put it out of his mind. When they arrived at the camp the couple got settled in special designated for their little family. The travel crib was already set up for Akira.

Two beds were pushed together in one corner underneath the window. The crib had been placed to the opposite side. The room was small so there wasn't much in the way of walking space, but it was big enough for a small chest to sit at the foot of the beds for their clothing.

Sakuno took one look around and smiled. "This is really nice. I didn't think we'd have any sort of privacy."

He hadn't thought so either. Well, as pleasant a surprise it was, they both had work to do. Tezuka took possession of Akira since Sakuno was on cleaning duties as a volunteer.

He made his way to the tennis courts where he hoped to find a quiet corner to practice. Hopefully Akira would continue with his calm behavior so he wouldn't have to waste too much time soothing a fussy baby.

He parked the stroller in the shade near a very good wall. Once his son was situated, he pulled his brand new racket from his tennis bag. He figured it would be best to break it in now before everyone else arrived.

That way he'd be ready to get going when it was time to run through drills. He ran through a few warm-ups. He did some stretching. He made sure his body was totally prepared to run through the training he was about to put it through.

The whole time he worked he kept a close eye on his son. Akira had fallen asleep. Tezuka allowed a brief smile to touch his lips. At least this was definitely a worry free situation.

~*~

Tomoka arrived at the camp to find Sakuno in the middle of airing out one of the dormers. Sakuno turned as the floorboards squeaked.

"Oh Tomo-chan, I didn't think you'd be here yet."

Tomoka dropped her head to hide the blush lighting her cheeks. "Well I had to get here early to talk to you about something really important. You really need to know what's going on with Ryoma."

Sakuno kept working as Tomoka ran through Ryoma's plan with her. At some point in the telling An had also arrived to lend a hand. Both girls were silent as Tomoka relayed the part she was supposed to play in the farce, hating to have to tell how she was supposed to betray her friend, but needing to getting it all out there.

"So do you see why I'm worried? He really doesn't want you with your husband."

Sakuno shrugged. "Of course he doesn't." She set the sheets down on the bed she'd been working on. "But considering how honest Kunimitsu is being with me, I doubt I have anything to fear. I don't think he realizes that I've gone through this whole period of my life with my eyes open."

"Still," An said, "maybe you should tell Tezuka-san about this. I think he really needs to know what that scumbag kid is up to."

Sakuno nibbled at her lower lip. "You think so. I was just going to ignore him as I've been doing. I barely have time for anything other than dealing with Akira."

An raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure there isn't anything else on that list. Maybe something to do with that husband of yours."

Sakuno blushed a deep red. An-chan, don't say that." They all laughed before getting back to work.

Sakuno turned toward the view of the courts from the window. Maybe she should tell her husband about what was going on. He was the tennis captain, so maybe there was something he could do to get Ryoma to leave her alone.

A slow smile came to her lips. Yeah, that was just what she was going to do, let her Kunimitsu deal with Ryoma.


	18. Chapter 17

Life really has been nuts lately. After four years of procrastinating I finally applied to grad school which meant I had to give up a lot of time previously devoted to writing fanfiction to my application submission piece. At the same time I decided I wanted to learn Japanese, so I started taking a class this semester just for fun. As such it left me quite drained to write or think about anything else. I still have to study for the final interview scheduled for next week and then I should hopefully have some peace of mind to do some writing on this story before the new semester picks back up. I know Ryoma's probably sounding extremely repetitive, but think of it as his growing obsession with Sakuno.

Disclaimer: Still don't own it, but I wish I did because then I'd have money.

Chapter 17

Tezuka lost himself in the world of tennis practice. Over and over he worked to perfect his strokes until it became even more habit. In his mind he pictured facing some of his toughest opponents, running through everything they could do to outsmart him and everything he could do to beat them.

He focused his attention this time on more than just using his natural left hand. He worked with his right as well, switching back and forth with the racket. He had more than just getting a foot in the door of professional tennis to worry about. He had a family to support, so he knew he had to do everything, use every tool available to become a success.

The sound of the ball consistently striking against the wall continued to soothe him. No mistakes, no bad decisions. He had to keep in mind that he had to keep his technique as perfect as possible. Competition was tough and it would only get tougher once he faced other players from other countries.

The wind held at a good steady blow, but it didn't stop his mind from running through what he would have to do if the wind were to change. The only way to win was to make sure you accounted for everything.

Time continued to pass, sweat dripped down his back. He felt his glasses slip just a bit down his nose as he worked. The whole world continued to move, but Tezuka at this point barely noticed it. He could only think about his love for tennis.

But reality didn't just allow him to forget as he wished for long. Akira awoke from his nap looking for someone to show him attention. Tezuka caught the tennis ball on ots return before he moved to tend to his son's need. Just as he collected Akira from the stroller the sound of a ball striking against the wall returned. Tezuka turned finding Atobe had taken up the practice himself. His constant companion Kabaji stood behind him holding the bags.

Tezuka hitched Akira a little higher in his arms, a slight frown on his face. "When did you get here?"

Atobe turned with all the flair he was known for. "How could you not notice me?" He struck up a pose. "You should be awed by the sight of my prowess."

Tezuka began pushing the stroller away. The last thing he needed was to deal with Atobe's ego, which could possibly infect his son's young impressionable mind. He ignored Atobe's sputtering at being dismissed.

"Hey," Atobe finally said, dropping his normal attitude. "Can I hold him?"

Tezuka turned, surprised that his supposed rival actually wanted to hold the baby. He turned his eyes to his son, finding placid dark eyes simply watching him. Tezuka then sighed, but passed Akira over to the rival player. He kept close watch over his son should he be needed to step in, but for the moment, Atobe actually seemed comfortable with the baby in his arms.

"He's just so tiny," Tezuka heard Atobe whisper. "Man I'm afraid I'll hurt him he seems so fragile. Right Kabaji?"

"Yes."

Tezuka shrugged. "You get used to it." Akira just then began waving his arms around in his warming up for a fit. Tezuka reached for his son just as the first screech began. "Let me go get him fed," Tezuka said as he avoided being hit by his son's fists. He was actually glad for the escape. Atobe seemed really weird all of a sudden.

~*~

Sakuno wondered just how exactly she would tell her husband about Ryoma and his plans. Of course she knew something had to be done and she'd been willing to give control of the situation over to her husband. But at the same time she still felt slightly frightened. She didn't want anything in the way of her happiness, not when she accepted what she had as being real.

She paced the length of the shared room with her husband. The others had suggested she take a break since they knew she'd be dealing some problems now. So she took them up on the offer.

She turned just as the door opened and her husband strode through, an unhappy Akira in his arms. "Oh, is it time for him to eat yet?" Tezuka nodded.

Sakuno took her son into her arms getting him ready to be fed. Tezuka made sure to lock the door to give them both privacy. "Were you able to get some practicing in?" she asked.

He nodded. "Some players are beginning to arrive already."

"Are you going back out there then?" She nibbled her lip wondering if she shouldn't speak to him now or wait still until later. Both plans have a positives and negatives attached to them, so she really just didn't know which way she should decide.

"I think I'll wait a bit," he finally said.

She released the breath she didn't realize she held. "Okay then. Well, I should probably tell you what Tomo-chan told me a bit earlier…about Ryoma." She found she had his immediate attention at that point.

"What about Echizen?"

She glanced down at Akira who contented himself with his feeding. She felt her nerves slightly shaking at the thought of what she was about to say. Once the words left her mouth she knew she'd never have the chance again to recall those words. So she really hoped that Tomo happened to be telling the truth about this plan Ryoma had.

"Tomo-chan told me that he intends to try to split us up during this camp. She says he wants her to help him get me alone so he can convince me to leave you." She told him everything that Tomo-chan had said while they cleaned the camp. And she told him about some of Ryoma's previous attempts at both trying to get her alone and some of the things he'd say to her.

She watched her husband's frown slip further down. He took his glasses off his face to wipe against his shirt, but he didn't say a word to her. She wondered what he could be thinking, but at the same time she was almost afraid to know what he thought about all of this. She turned her eyes back to her son as if Akira had all the answers.

"I don't want him to break us up," she whispered. "I don't want him to have the chance to try it."

Tezuka sat beside her and wrapped her in his arms, Akira and all. Without any bidding he pressed a gentle kiss on her temple. "Don't drop your guard around him," he said in answer. It surprised a smile out of her, but she nodded anyway. She knew he meant it would be okay. She turned her head to give him a proper kiss at the corner of his lips.

"You're right. We'll be fine." There was nothing Ryoma could do if she just continued to keep in mind how Tezuka made her feel.

~*~

Little Akira had trouble sleeping that first night. For some reason he behaved fussier than usual and as a result Sakuno spent a lot of time walking the hallways of the cabin with her son. Tezuka remained at her side, helping when she got a little too frustrated until Ryuzaki-sensei agreed to watch Akira so Tezuka and Sakuno could get some sleep.

The young parents felt a little bad for the grandmother, but the older woman admitted she fully didn't mind watching the baby. She didn't need much sleep at her age anyway. So Tezuka led his wife back to their shared room where they tried to settle down for the night.

The only problem Sakuno had was she thought she could still hear her son fussing. Just listening to him seemed to break her heart. She turned to her husband, finding his eyes closed as he tried to sleep. "I can't get to sleep," she said quietly. "I can still hear Akira crying."

Tezuka opened his eyes to watch her. He sighed briefly before he sat up. "Do you want me to go get him?" He began to reach over to the nightstand for his glasses.

Sakuno sat up as well, shaking her head. "No, please. It's okay really." She glanced down at her hands. "It's just hard to listen to him be unhappy." She nibbled at her lower lip, feeling bad she could do nothing for her baby when he was like this. She felt like such a bad mother whenever she couldn't get him to settle down.

Tezuka reached over to tug her closer. She glanced up just in time for his lips to fall gently upon hers. Sakuno immediately wrapped her arms around her husband, pulling him closer. For the moment she reveled in the feel of his full lips on hers. She leaned back in the bed, dragging his body over hers.

"You shouldn't feel bad about Akira. Ryuzaki-sensei is a pro dealing with him. Listen."

She tilted her head to the side listening for the sound of her son. She heard nothing which made her relax just the slightest. She wrapped herself tighter around her husband, a smile touching her lips. He watched her face never changing from the expression she was used to.

She leaned up to press another kiss to his lips. It didn't take him very long to respond for which she was glad. Her hands smoothed over his bare back coming to rest on his hips just above the elastic band of his pajama pants. She tugged his lower body closer to her. Her thighs parted eagerly; letting him rest between in the place she needed him the most.

He grunted briefly, but said nothing in response to her movements. His hand shifted down, tugging up her nightgown over her thighs to her hips. She moaned at the feeling his heated hand on her bare outer thigh. Cream began to build between her legs, running freely since she had forgone putting on some panties when she'd readied for bed.

His hips shifted against her, pressing his still clothed erection firmly against her. She moved to fully get rid of her nightgown when he stopped her movements with a shake of his head. "I hate to say this, but we have to be quick if we do this now. There's too many people to expect nothing to go wrong."

As much as she hated to admit it, he was right. Plus she wanted to make sure he got the most sleep he could this night. Instead of undressing herself she simply worked his pants down enough to free him.

She sighed when he pressed into her, thrusting deep into her willing body. "Kunimitsu," she whispered in his ear. He sighed as he moved even deeper within her. The pace he set kept slow and steady. She felt every curve, every vein of him dragging through her slick walls, finding all the secrets of her inner body. Every grind of his hips rubbed against her clit adding that extra little thrill. Reminding her she could hide nothing from her husband, even should she have wished to do so.

She felt possessed by him, his willing sacrifice. She also felt safe and cared for because he still sought her enjoyment though he desperately needed his sleep. She held him closer, feeling her body begin to tighten around him. His pace quickened feeling the way she massaged against him. Then she squeezed him so tight that his body lost all control. He spilled himself into her as her orgasm continued.

He tried not to collapse onto her body but barely managed to move enough so she would be able to breathe with his weight upon her. He fell asleep almost instantly. Sakuno remained awake a moment longer, watching her husband breathe. She continued to hug his body simply so glad for his presence in her life. She stood by her decision to keep her family together no matter what it took. She loved him, this stoic man slowly learning to become more open.

A brief smile touched her lips. She couldn't wait for the day when he truly embraced her without hesitating first or thinking it through. She closed her eyes, dreams of their future passing by her eyelids. In the morning when she awoke, he was gone, but she didn't allow it to concern her.

She rose from the bed and rushed to shower and get dressed for the day. She still had her job as a volunteer to do.

~*~

Ryoma knew he had to bide his time before he could try to implement his plan on Sakuno. He had to catch her just right, but so far none of the other volunteers would ever leave her alone. Hell, even most of the players from the others teams crowded her and that damn baby during any free moment.

He didn't get what the big deal was. It was just a baby. So what if it belonged to Tezuka-san. It was still just a baby.

He couldn't stand the way she would laugh or smile anytime someone asked her a question about the baby or the way she always seemed to want to praise Tezuka as if he were the greatest player ever. Didn't she realize she just sounded stupid and like a robot only knowing how to say one thing?

He pulled his cap further down over his eyes. He really didn't know how much longer he could take her ignoring his presence. She just didn't have the right stop supporting him. She especially didn't have the right to go chasing after Tezuka.

He had to turn away another play approached Sakuno and that baby. Clearly, he wouldn't be able to put his plan into motion right now so he should probably get to practice like they were all supposed to. He didn't need to improve if here were going to make Sakuno notice him over that man she called husband.

~*~

I really want to end this chapter with a big thank you to all you readers and reviewers who keep putting up with me just disappearing and reappearing. I know my mind's just not in the best of writing places right now, but you guys do keep reminding me that I have this commitment and I always finish what I start eventually. So never fear, I'll always keep coming back until I can honestly say this is complete. It's just turning out to be a long ride than I expected.


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